Madrehood

When I was pregnant, before we knew we were having a girl, we (well I) had some boy names picked out. Good thing we had a girl cause those names were not going to be easy for mis padres(my parents).... we named her Victoria Grace and my parents only butcher Grace, not so bad.

I've compiled a list from top baby name app "Baby Names" of rare but up trending Spanish & Latin baby boy names and narrowed it down to 25. Maybe you'll find your baby's name here :)

 

 

I have one 3 year old daughter named Victoria (in my belly below). I would love to have another child, right about now but for health reasons, we have decided to only have one child.  Many of my friends are now having a second baby and I wanted to address some of their concerns.

Like them, many parents have a second child when their firstborn is 2-4 years old so there isn’t a huge difference in age when the children grow up.  I asked my sister, an 18 year experienced preschool teacher, to share her advice and her experiences with you in order to help you when you're ready to have bebé #2. Check out this month’s Dasy’s Corner.

 

My daughter turned 3 in March. Up until now she has been going to a family daycare, but I decided it was time to move on to preschool.  Boy, has this preschool search been an eye opening, “I’m not prepared at all” experience.  I wanted to share this with you in hopes that when you are ready to start looking you ARE prepared and not scrambling like I’ve been over the past few weeks.  I've even included a Free Downloadable Questionnaire for you to have with you when you are ready to start searching.  See what I was surprised to learn!

As many of you know (or now know), my husband is a musician.  I’m a proud wife seeing my husband grace the stage with the likes of Lady Gaga or playing in front of hundreds sometimes thousands of people. Yes, it’s very cool, but what’s not so cool is trying to help my 3 year old cope when her daddy’s away for a few days or sometimes a few months on tour.

So what are some things you can do to help your child during short or long trips? This is what I’ve been implementing for the past 3 years.

My sister Dasy Perez, has been a preschool teacher for almost 18 years.  She is a magnet for children.  Simply stated they love her and she simply loves being a preschool teacher.  As a mamá to a 3 year old, Dasy has been my #1 go to person whenever I have any questions regarding Victoria in terms of behavior and education.  I wholeheartedly trust her advice from an educator's perspective and with the amount of years under her belt, I mean who wouldn't?  So here's my first interview where you get to know this Latina Preschool teacher, meet Dasy Perez.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, alot of fun went into picking her name.  We wanted to make sure that we picked a name that was easy for my Hispanic family to pronounce (cause I've heard them butcher quite a few).  I wanted a not too common name, somewhat Hispanic or at least easy to pronounce in Español, and not so strange that my kid would be picked on.  I've compiled a list from top baby name app "Baby Names" of rare but up trending Spanish & Latin names.  Maybe you'll find your baby's name here :)

 

 

 

Spring is almost here and its time to do some cleaning.  We tend to accumulate a lot of stuff, especially as parents...everything from toys, clothes, craft or art projects.  How can we keep it all organized, stay sane, and not have mom guilt?  These are my principles for keeping it together without going nuts and being on the latest episode of "Hoarders."

It’s cuaresma, lent, and maybe that means something to you or maybe it means nothing.  You don't have to be Catholic or religious to get more connected with your higher power, but you have to make a conscious effort towards it. I'm an "open minded" Catholic and use religion as a base for my spirituality.  For me, lent is when I make a conscious effort get more connected with God, the universe, and my body in order to get more clarity in my life and my journey.    So what does this spiritual journey look like every year?  Take a look and see if it inspires you to get more connected with yourself and that higher power.

It was suppose to be a pleasant 3 day weekend, instead, I've spent the last 5 days playing a real life Doc McStuffins to my sick child. I was sure she had the flu, but she didn't, what she had really surprised me. See if any of these symptoms sound familiar to your child.

As many of you know I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day.  I prefer to celebrate amor & kindness any other day and avoid the crowds and clichés, but that's just me.  I am now happily married and can tell you the best and worst things to do on Valentine's Day.  So pay attention caballeros.  Ladies, you're not off the hook, I have some advice for you too that'll make him very happy.

When you have children it's hard NOT to shift your focus to that little human.  We want to raise them, pass down our traditions, teach them what our parents taught us (at least the good parts), create new memories, and hopefully not scar them in any way for life.  According to scientific research couple's with Preschool kids are the unhappiest in their marriages.  What about our spouses and our partners?  We shouldn't have to wait til our kids turn 18 to be happy again as a couple. We can cultivate our marriages and create loving memories and traditions of our very own.

So instead of buying her chocolates and buying him a watch every year, here are some couples traditions ideas that you can start on Valentine's Day (or any day), that will make your bond stronger, give you something to look forward to, and can help your marriage from becoming simple daily routine.

There is one phrase I always tell mi familia and friends, “As long as my daughter can grow up and not be an asshole, then I think I did a good job as a parent.”  Of course I want my kid to grow up and one day accomplish bigger and greater things than I have, but for me, it shouldn’t be at the cost of being a decent human being.  Trying to raise a kind kid with empathy, concern, and care for all living things so she can grow up making a difference is at the top of my list like so many parents.  So what are some everyday easy things We can do with our kids teach our kids to ser amables?  Here are some tips and tools that'll inspire your entire familia.

A new year, new goals, maybe it’s to be healthier, spend more time with your familia, or cut down that debt and save more. Lo que mi mamá me enseño del dinero...Not much!

Goodbye 2017, Hello 2018!  Oh the holidays were so yummy with the natilla, buñuelos, cookies, tamales, coquito, chocolate, and all the indulgences.  Nobody ever gives you a box of apples for Christmas now do they? Every year is the same, at least for me, I am somewhat good UNTIL Thanksgiving and then it's all downhill from there and repeat.  Sound familiar? January comes along, with a few extra pounds and a new focus and determination until November again. But you know what? F#@k it.

2017 will go down in history as the #metoo #yotambien year. So what does this have to do with being a Latino or Hispanic Parent? Everything!  If there is one single resolution to make this year it's...

We as mamás always tend to put everyone else first and leave ourselves last.  We may not hesitate to spend $50 easily on someone we love but we may think twice about spending that on ourselves.  I think it's built into the mamá DNA, the always giving giving giving, but what about us?

It's officially holiday season with Thanksgiving around the corner and then Navidad, it's very easy to get overwhelmed as mamás, so, I want to offer you some personal tips and lists, because I absolutely love lists to get you organized and ready to tackle this season without going loca.

When your life is turned upside down, how can you deal and manage the stress, especially when you have a young child or children at home?  Our lives have changed and learning to navigate this new norm is challenging.

"Mami, are you happy?" Victoria asks.  I tell her, "Yes, mama, I'm so happy.  These are Happy tears because I have my family, you, a roof over my head, food, clothes, water, my health...I am rich."