El pleito of making your kids bilingual!

We understand them completely in English… in some cases even better than if they were to speak to us in Spanish.  So how do we ensure that this next generation comes up understanding the importance of being bilingual as well?  For one thing, it’s probably a good idea to dispel some myths and rumors about raising bilingual kids:

1. If you know both languages well, your children will pick them up pretty easily as well.  Hold on, let me stop rolling my eyes first.  Nope!  You know, you never realize your kids have personalities of their own until they say something like “why do I have to speak to you all in Spanish if we all speak and understand English?”  After that, it’s perfectly okay to say something like “inche huerco” under your breath.  I give you permission.
2. Make your children speak Spanish to you and they will become bilingual!  This is a continuation of the above.  Again, if they know – and more importantly if you know – that what your kid is arguing is true, you just kind of start relaxing on the enforcement.  We don’t want to.  It just happens.  Besides, how much did you pay attention to the things your parents forced you to do?
3. Make them speak to each other in Spanish!  Yeah… this approach will probably only work in front of you.  When you’re not around they’ll speak to each other in whatever language they want to.  I’m definitely speaking to you from experience on this one.  When our parents weren’t around we didn’t have any reason to speak to each other in Spanish.  Even today, it’s always a little awkward to speak to my siblings in full Spanish.  Spanglish feels a lot more comfortable for some reason.  I guess there’s an intimacy in talking to each other in English.  As weird as this might sound, Spanish feels much more formal between us – like we didn’t grow up together for all of those years or something.
4. Insist!  Insist!  Insist!  Go a little book crazy!  Okay… so if they don’t make books that are 100 percent on the money on how to be a good parent, they probably won’t make any that will guarantee your children will come out perfectly bilingual in a couple of years either.  Sorry, but it’s true!  Yeah, there are tons of great books on the subject – some really great ones in there at that – but there’s only so much you can learn from a book.  The other big part of the equation, you have to actually want to read the book (I mean you and your kids here).

Alright, so enough negativity from me.  Despite all of this, it is still possible to raise bilingual kids.  Personally, I think it’s more about getting your kids to understand the significance of their being bilingual.  Whether it’s because of their culture, the preservation of part of their heritage, the potential opportunities it will lead to in the future, or whatever other reason you want to come up with, once they understand and embrace the importance of learning two languages, they will!

Yup, I’d say it’s safe to say this is the year of La Lopez!

Jennifer Lopez for Vogue

Jennifer Lopez for Vogue

Can William Levy dance away with the championship on DWTS?

Ladies, if ever your Cuban heartthrob needed your votes on Dancing With The Stars, it is now!  The highly celebrated “Latin hottie,”  William Levy and his dancing partner Cheryl Burke, next week, will be facing off against NFL superstar and super bowl winner Donald Driver and his dance partner Peta Murgatroyd, as well as Opera singer Katherine Jenkins and her partner Mark Ballas, for the Dancing With The Stars finale championship.  Could he go all the way?!

After coming on as a virtual unknown – save for the millions of Latina and Latino fans he’d garnered over the years on Spanish-language media – William has quite literally won the hearts of America and sort of become a household name.  I guess you could say he’s already won.  If you’d like to help him walk away with the Dancing With The Stars title as well, next week might be a great time to start voting.

¡Dale William!  You can do this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J0a_aheTtg

What’s that saying?  If I had a penny for every time…

Michelle Rodriguez explores her Hispanic roots on PBS.

Pero bueno, my question for myself after these encounters, then and now, has always remained the same.  What does it mean to be Mexican?  Or for that matter, Latino?

Does the fact that I “don’t look Mexican” mean I am less of a Latino?  What if I did not speak or write in Spanish?  Could I still be considered part of the Hispanic community?  What exactly would I be considered if not Latino?  These are all the questions that have driven me to do some of the digging I’ve done so far about my last name.  Totally unofficial, what I’ve found so far is that apparently Alanis is very common in Indonesia.  Maybe that could explain the whole Asian-Latino confusion about me?  Who knows!  What I do know, is that precisely because of these puzzling questions about my own family history, I’ve been a sucker for PBS’s Finding Your Roots since it first began.  The show takes famous personalities and traces their family roots as far back as they can, often revealing surprising truths about their histories.

I so would love to have my family history traced.  Too bad que no soy famoso!

On the next episode, which airs this Sunday on PBS and is the season finale for Finding Your Roots, Michelle Rodriguez, Adrian Grenier and Linda Chavez explore their tangled Spanish colonial roots.  They find that their various family histories include influences from Native American, African and European people – from conquistadors to crypto-Jews – who made the New World.  I’ll definitely be watching!  Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect:

Watch Finding Your Roots: Michelle Rodriguez, Adrian Grenier & Linda Chavez – Preview on PBS. See more from Finding Your Roots.

Angel or Sinvergüenza?

I was a sinvergüenza when together with my brothers we used the hole in between our kitchen and the neighbor’s to soak her legs and feet with our water guns.

I was a sinvergüenza when I’d walk in to the mall wearing one extra large tee shirt and walk out wearing about four other smaller ones underneath.

I was a sinvergüenza when I’d blame my younger brother for all of my wrongdoings.

I was a sinvergüenza when I’d pretend I never got her calls in high school.

I was a sinvergüenza when I’d call in for two or three days at a time just to veg out in front of the television.

I was a sinvergüenza when I pretended to care more than I actually did.

I am a sinvergüenza now, since I will only share the many ways I have been a sinvergüenza in the past…  not how I might still be one today.

¿Qué tienes tu de sinvergüenza?

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario?  If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

Writer’s Disclaimer: When I say mexi-vocabulario I don’t necessarily mean these words are exclusively Mexican, or only used by Mexicans.  This is simply an expression of how they were introduced to me in our Mexican Spanish.

More Mexi-Vocabulario 

• Mitotero
• Arrullar
• Solovino
• Pipirisnais
• Chusma
• Rifandomela
• Guey/Wuey
• Chale / Huevón / A Toda Madre
• Alcahueta
• Fodonga
• Rola
• Tamalona
• Palabras Pa’Enamorar

The pair say this is as close to cat fighting as they have ever come, on or off set.

Jennifer said:

“I hadn’t even seen her… Gosh!  Give us a chance to get in the room.”

Cameron said:

“It’s always like that.  They always want women to be cat fighting.  We live in such a misogynistic, chauvinistic (society) – especially the media itself, is like always pinning women against one another…”

There was also a reference to how guys are never accused of having “sword fights” on set, with some pretty hilarious hand gestures from Cameron.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEWLtq1bN6A

Coincidentally, this week, I also came across this blog post that makes the case that for women “getting angry is socially unacceptable.”

What do you think?  Do we want to see women fighting amongst each other?  And is it okay for a women to get mad in our society?

One other great thing about the piñata: there never have been so many great innovative designs to choose from!  Whether you want to do it yourself or just buy one, here are some unique takes on this traditional mainstay of Latino celebrations.

As originally pinned by C. on Pinterest

The Beehive.

As originally pinned by Clare Armstrong on Pinterest

Giraffe.

As originally pinned by Sophie Sinclair on Pinterest

Pavo Real.

As originally pinned by Heather Critchfield on Pinterest

Angry Bird.

As originally pinned by Sara Michelle on Pinterest

Mustache.

As originally pinned by Mélanie BR on Pinterest

Miniature Burritos.

“Oh that’s how it’s gonna be ¡pendejo!”

I'm in love with the Zagg!

In all seriousness, it’s a miracle I’m able to blog so much considering all of the technical difficulties sometimes.  Either that, or a testament to my patience and persistence.  Pero bueno, that’s neither here nor there.

Muy convenient!

The thing about the ZAGGsparq™ 2.0 Portable USB Charger (pictured above) that really has me all gaga about it is just how convenient and portable it is!  I’m telling you, from the moment Radio Shack sent me the ZAGG and it came in the mail, it has not left my side.  My cell phone has not gone uncharged again either.  That’s pretty much as good as gold when you use your phone as much as I do.  Por lo menos it’s as close to gold as I’m getting right now.  If you notice the second picture above, you plug in your device’s USB into the ZAGG and it charges your gizmo or gadget like any other wall or car charger would.  You can even charge two phones or any other two devices simultaneously.  Ha!  It’s what I was missing in my life and didn’t even realize.

To charge the charger, you plug it in for a couple of hours, and it pretty much lasts all day.   Here’s what the folks at Radio Shack have to add about the ZAGG:

• Takes an iPad® from 0 percent to 60 percent at the same rate the iPad wall charger charges the iPad.
• Fits easily in a pocket or bag, making it the perfect size for travelers and business people.
• Top USB charging port is optimized for smart phones and other devices like iPhone®, iPod® & iPad ™
• Bottom port uses the standard USB specification for devices that do not utilize optimized charging.

This is not a sponsored post.  Radio Shack provided the ZAGGsparq™ 2.0 Portable USB Charger for my review.  I was not compensated for this review and was not required to write a positive review.  The opinions expressed are my own.

Do we want to see ourselves in this new venture?

Myself, I don’t really watch the news much these days.  Except for CNN, most of the news I consume comes from the internet.  More specifically from social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.  There’s a certain control in knowing that the power is in my hands to decide what I do want to watch and when.  Today, for example, me perdi JLO’s performance on American Idol, but as soon as I got home I watched it on YouTube.  Her entire participation on Q’Viva The Chosen still shows up crystal clear on my Univision app.  I don’t even have to watch the stinking commercials if I don’t want to!

What makes these shows addicting for me – more so Q’Viva than Idol – is that they are innovative in their own right.  No longer are we watching the Puerto Rican cashier on South Central, the Mexican housemaid or nanny taking care of children and homes that are not her own, the shady Latino who’s always up to no good on TV dramas and film.  There’s a deeper connection with the Latinos on screen these days.  They’re spicing up scripts and transcripts with Spanglish and Spanish.  They’re talking about and starring alongside families like our own.  A few – i.e. Jenni Rivera – are even opening up the same kinds of businesses we might have had or wanted to have one day.  You can’t buy that type of connection!  Okay, that one could just be me since my family also owned a taco truck once upon a time.

So how does that translate to the news we consume?

I honestly don’t know.  What I do know is that whatever consumption we will be expected to partake in should reflect, more and more on an increasing level, who we are as a people and a community.  There aren’t really any hard and fast rules, but it’s nice to know the big players are willing to at least try.

¡Felicidades to you all, Divas of Motherhood!

Salma Hayek and her daughter, Valentina.

Sofia Vergara and son Manolo.

Jessica Alba with daughters Honor and Haven.

Jennifer Lopez with twins Max and Emme.

Thalia with son Matthew Alejandro.

Jenni Rivera with her brood.

Christina Aquilera with son Max.

Crafty Chica with daughter Maya in the Moment.

Ana Barbara with her children and then some on Cristina.

La Chule with Luis Miguel's sons Daniel and Miguel.

Mother and Child by Lisa Monica Nelson

If you’re fortunate enough to have grown up with a mother like mine, who has always been willing to give every single ounce of herself for her children, even now, you’ll appreciate this very special Mother’s Day dedication.  It started with a partnership with Cricket Wireless for a Mother’s Day giveaway, but once your song dedications started coming in it was clear we had to do just a little bit more.  Estas son las canciones that you all dedicated to your madrecitas for their special day – today, for many mothers around the world, including those of Mexican descent like my own.  I’ll warn you que ya me la he pasado chillando part of this morning listening to some of these wonderful selctions.  Thank you for sharing them!

1. Oh Mother by Christina Aguilera
2. You Are My Sunshine by Jimmie Davis
3. I’ll Always Love My Mama by The Intruders
4. Las Mañanitas by Lola La Grande
5. Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler
6. Amor Eterno by Rocio Durcal
7. Señora, Señora by Denise de Kalafe
8. You And Me Against The World by Helen Reddy
9. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel
10. Mama by Spice Girls
11. Te Amo Mama by Marco Antonio Solis
12. Querida Amiga by Pimpinela
13. A Song For Mama by Boys 2 Men
14. You Gotta Be by Des’ree

We’re also dedicating special messages to our jefitas on Twitter… in all of 140 characters using the hashtag #DiadelasMadres.  So please, feel free to share your own corazonadas about your mom with us as well.  Here are some of the tweets so far:

Always treat a lady like a 'dama.'

Here are some other good Mexi-Vocabulario words for love:

Mango – As in ¡estas bien mango! meaning “dayumm you are fine!”  Mango is most commonly used to describe a person of the male sex, but I guess you could use it for either gender.  It may sound kind of funny though to call a woman a mango.  One thing I do know for sure is that so many of you have said William Levy “está bien mango“.

Mona – ¡Ay chiquita estas bien mona!  Oh honey you are so mona!  Now as many of you might already know, in a lot of Latin American countries mona means monkey.  So you might be wondering why would I call the woman I’m interested in a monkey?  In truth, you’re not.  In this context mona means doll… like saying “you are so beautiful you look like a doll (a beauty that is too good to be true).”

Chula - As in beautiful.  A woman who is gorgeous to look at and who should be admired for her sheer beauty.  You should also know, however, that other definitions of chula do include insolente or insolent in English.

Chiquilla/Chiquita – Little one.  No!  Not as in small-minded or feeble, but as in precious, cute, adorable, etc.  Note, this word is not necessarily reserved only for petite women.  Lots of mujeres with “real curves” actually love being called chiquilla.  Probably the same amount hate the reference of being chuiquita.  I’m telling y’all!  Sometimes us guys can’t win for trying.

Gorda - This one comes with a big old warning slapped all over it because if you don’t use it with extreme care you might end up with a big old cachetada yourself.  Gorda means fat… but in just the right context it can mean everything but that.  Usually you’ll hear a guy call his girlfriend, wife, etc. ¡Gorda! if she is anything but that.  A term of endearment really.  I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a man call his more voluptuous partner this.  I don’t think I want to either.

Hermosa/Preciosa - If you’d rather do your conquering on the safe side, preciosa or hermosa are probably as safe a bet as any.  There isn’t really any room for misinterpretation.  Both words mean beautiful and are probably universally understood as simply that: a complimentary word meant to compliment a women on her beauty.  If you mess that one up… pues que te puedo decir.

That’s a pretty good start I think.  If you like this version of Mexi-Vocabulario let me know and we’ll play again real soon.  Hope your having an awesome Hump Day!  No sean mal pensados… I mean it in the most innocent, clean sense possible

I’m always on the hunt for new mexi-vocabulario.
What other words would you like me to include in the mexi-vocabulario?  If you have one that you would recommend please share it with me here.

Writer’s Disclaimer: When I say mexi-vocabulario I don’t necessarily mean these words are exclusively Mexican, or only used by Mexicans.  This is simply an expression of how they were introduced to me in our Mexican Spanish.

More Mexi-Vocabulario 

• Mitotero
• Arrullar
• Solovino
• Pipirisnais
• Chusma
• Rifandomela
• Guey/Wuey
• Chale / Huevón / A Toda Madre
• Alcahueta
• Fodonga
• Rola
• Tamalona

Espinoza Paz also stars with Eva Mendes.

As I’ve written before, the movie itself looks very interesting.  They’ve got a pretty stellar cast, a good storyline, and now, even El Cantautor del Pueblo himself, Mr. Espinoza Paz.  I’m not entirely sure, but this may also be his debut on the silver screen as well.  De cualquier manera, it was something about the movie that definitely caught my attention.  I thought Jenni Rivera was the only Regional Mexican musician going all Hollywood on us.

She’s starring as an incarcerated mother in the forthcoming film Filly Brown alongside Edward James Olmos.  Espinoza, meanwhile, is playing Eugenio Derbez’s cousin in the follow up to Under The Same Moon for director Patricia Riggen.  He’s also on the movie’s soundtrack with the duet Así o Más, which also features María Jóse.

Now him being in the movie doesn’t really make a difference to me either way.  I was going to watch Girl in Progress on it’s opening day – May 11 – anyway, but it might for some.  Sea lo que sea, this is his new song for the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_dMrX-yYXc

That woke me up!  ¡Qué burradas! 

Now don’t go getting all worried about me.  In truth, I think it’s the patch I’ve been wearing for the past eight days.  You see, after years of being a regular smoker I’ve finally made the decision to quit.  I am doing so by wearing the patch, and while things have been going pretty smoothly otherwise – the cravings have diminished significantly – the nightmares are now starting to freak me out.  I should also note that the box clearly says you should not wear the patch overnight if you notice it is disruptive to your sleep.  Until now, like in so many other aspects in my life, my reaction has been pretty much “ah… I can handle it.”   I’m not so sure anymore.

I think after tonight I’ll be removing the patch every night!

Yet, my question is not necessarily about the chemicals that are causing me to have these nightmares, but about what exactly dreams are meant to be interpreted as?  I’ve heard that if you don’t want a nightmare to come true you should vocalize it by telling someone about it out loud.  I guess in some way, you telling someone what you dreamt is supposed to cancel out the nightmare and prevent it from coming true.  I won’t repeat my nightmares because I don’t want to, but I am considering this my way of vocalizing all of those nightmares.

But tell me, what do you think about dreams and nightmares and what they mean?

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo.

5.  No!  It’s not an international holiday or even a holiday celebrated across Latin America.  Cinco de Mayo, while it has been adopted as a cause for celebration and as good a reason as any to enjoy a couple of margaritas, is actually a Mexican holiday.

4.  In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.  That’s right!  Por eso you’ll hear so many gritos in bars and cantinas near you.

3.  In Many parts of Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is not even observed as a holiday.  In fact, in places like Puebla, where it is celebrated as a regional holiday, Cinco de Mayo is actually known as El Día de la Batalla de Puebla / The Day of the Battle of Puebla, which basically commemorates the Battle of Puebla of May 5, 1862 when Mexico defeated French forces who were trying to invade.

2.  Cinco de Mayo, contrary to popular belief, is not a celebration of Mexico’s Independence.  That important national holiday is actually celebrated every year on September 16.

1.  Finally, yes… Cinco de Mayo is certainly a great opportunity to celebrate not only Mexicans, but all Latinos who are proud of their heritage and culture.  Just make sure you understand what Cinco de Mayo is actually commemorating.

¡Ahora sí!  Happy Cinco de Mayo! ¡¡AJUUAA!!