Latinas for Latino Literature Blog Hop with Amy Costales! Plus Giveaway!

Latinas for Latino Literature have teamed up with a few bloggers and writers for a blog hop and giveaway in honor of  Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros (Children’s Day, Book’s Day). Amy Costales has written a post for us in honor of that day! Read this great article ahead and the giveaway that follows!

My daughter was my original inspiration to write children’s books. She was a toddler in my lap, watching a video she had just received for Christmas. It was her first encounter with T.V. There was a happy father on the screen pulling a toddler in a wagon. I was enjoying the scene, tapping my toe to the accompanying song of “Daddy’s Taking Me to The Zoo Today” with no deep thoughts. My daughter was the one doing the profound thinking. She tapped me on the knee, trying to comfort me, saying, “Don’t worry Mami, I have my Poppop”. I was stunned by all that must have gone through her two-year-old brain. She had looked at the screen, apparently thought how, unlike that child, she didn’t have a father around. She then thought of her grandpa, but also felt a need to console me. Híjole. That was a lot of thinking for one little girl. From that day on I was aware of the way the image of family in the media never reflected mine or my friends’. Where were the single moms? The dads working two jobs? The children sharing rooms? The families sharing houses? Where were the brown-skinned children? I always had enjoyed playing with words, but suddenly I had something compelling me to write. I wrote a book for my daughter about our family. When she got a little older, I wrote her another book. This time it was about skin color, because I noticed she was drawing herself as blond. She somehow came to the conclusion that chili peppers make your skin brown and she refused to eat salsa anymore, because, as she told me, she didn’t want to sit in the back of the pick-up truck with the lawn mowers when she grew up. She was three.

I became a teacher not long after that, and I noticed that my students also drew themselves with paler skin, lighter hair and blue eyes. I bought crayons and mirrors, and we drew ourselves in a celebration of color. Then one day I was reading a book to my class, when it suddenly struck me that it expressed a reality so far from that of my students. A little boy leaning against my leg while I read lived in a garage, and I was reading about middle class white boys and sleepover parties. At that point, I started trying to publish instead of just writing for my daughter.

What I write about doesn’t represent all Latino children, but it does add an important piece. Because my daughter, her cousins, and my students often lived in extended families, that is something I wrote about in Abuelita Full of Life, Grandpa Used to Live Alone and Sundays on Fourth Street.  Because I was a single parent, and so many kids grow up in single family homes, two of these titles show a single mother, which is me. And because I know that in many families money is scarce, and I often think about how the child who has not must feel when bombarded with images of the child who has, Sundays on Fourth Street deliberately shows a family where three children share a bed. Lupe Vargas and Her Super Best Friend and Hello Night have universals themes, because I believe that Latino children should also get to simply be children, dealing with things like friendship and bedtime.

Are there a lack of books with Latino children as central characters? Certainly.

Nearly 1/4 of elementary students are Latino, and yet as mere 3% of picture books are about Latino children written by a Latino. However, that is not to say that there are not wonderful, exciting books being published by passionate authors and  publishing companies that can fill a wall in any library. These books do not make it into all classrooms. It is problematic when schools order books using one distributor who may not carry the books that need to get into classrooms. And if you go into mainstream book stores, you are sometimes more likely to find books about a large red dog translated into Spanish. Nearly half of Latino kids do not graduate from high school. Seeing themselves in texts, both in stories and in history, would go a long way in remedying those numbers.

Almost twenty years after I stared teaching, I have learned something else. Latino kids do not need to read books about Latino kids. All kids need to read books about Latino kids. And Latino kids do not need to read books about Latino kids. They need to read books about all kind of kids. I have realized that I was right to read my students a book about a middle class white boy getting ready for sleep-over. I just needed to read it alongside a book like Sundays on Fourth Street where sleep-overs happen every night, in your own house, in the room you share with your cousins. The lives of all children need to be legitimized to all children.


Amy CostalesAmy Costales is a bilingual children’s author and an instructor of Spanish for Heritage Speakers at the University of Oregon.

 

 

 

 

 

The Giveaway

L4LL has put together a wonderful collection of Latino children’s literature to be given to a school or public library. Many of the books were donated by the authors and illustrators participating in this blog hop. You can read a complete list of titles (as well as the blog hop SCHEDULE) here on the L4LL website.

To enter your school library or local library in the giveaway, simply leave a comment below.

The deadline to enter is 11:59 EST, Monday, April 29th. The winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced on the L4LL website on April 30th, Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros, and will be contacted via email – so be sure to leave a valid email address in your comment! (If we have no way to contact you, we’ll have to choose someone else!)

By entering this giveaway, you agree to the Official Sweepstakes Rules. No purchase required. Void where prohibited.

¡Buena suerte!

 

Celebrate Three Kings Day with Target

Three kings day El Dia de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day or the Day of the Three Wise Kings is a Latin American tradition that has been in my family for as long as I can remember. We celebrated Three Wise Kings more when we were visiting our family in Dominican Republic during that time and not back to the United States yet from our vacation. Three Wise Kings is celebrated on the day of the Epiphany which this year is January 6, 2013. Target can help you get ready for this fun filled day by helping you get your wise men gifts and more!

Three Kings Day for your Princes and Princesses
Target has thousands of toys and fun products that can help the Wise Men make this Three Kings Day memorable. Here are some options for your gifts:

Evil will not win in 2013 thanks to Spider-Man Web Shooter

Enjoy unlimited hours of fun with Disney Bounce Bounce Tigger

Fun and games for your princess with the Yahtzee Jr. Disney Princess Edition

Your small inventor will be entertained with LEGO LEGO Creator Blue Roadster

Ingredients and Candy for the “Rosca de Reyes”

Your Three Kings Day celebration will not begin until you bite from the traditional thread. To make this tradition a little more modern, include some delicious ingredients that you can find at Target. Here you will find some candy that you can add to this delicious dessert and also a tasty hot chocolate that you can drink along with it.

Use Ghirardelli Boxed Chocolate with your Rosca

If you are not a sweets lover (the horror!!) and prefer something salty then you can go for the Archer Farms Salted Roasted Deluxe Mixed Nuts

· Enjoy your Rosca with a hot chocolate with the help of Archer Farms Milk Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix

Will you be celebrating Three Kings Day with your family? What traditions do you share?

Pic Source

Global Motherhood with Johnson & Johnson (Sponsored)

JJLatismMontage3.jpg.jpgWhat kind of mother are you? I actually don’t think I can classify myself as a certain type of mom. You can say I have multiple personalities as a mom. And I’ve been inspired by my mother, my aunts as well as new traditions and things that I have taught myself as I went along. Because really what works for one family or in one generation may not necessarily work with another.

From my own mami I was inspired by her work ethic as well as her desire to make her children independent. That was always a big thing with her. And I find myself teaching my son at a young age ( I started at around 3 and he’s 5 now) to learn how to do chores and clean up after himself, give himself baths and get himself dressed. He loves that he’s constantly learning to do new things like learning his left from right to put his shoes on and we are now currently working on learning how to tie his shoes.

From my tia, I learned more of the maternal side. She was very domestic (something my mom and her work ethic was missing) and I learned how to move around in a kitchen, how to include the children when you are cooking and how to be a disciplinarian while still being fair. I feel like my childhood was split between my house and hers I was there almost every weekend sleeping over. Even when we moved to Western NY which was over 300 miles away from her, I always found my way back to her for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Trimming the tree and learning how to make las navidades special with friends and family are all things I learned from her.

So what does inspire me to make sure my family is healthy and thriving? Learning is a big thing at home. Learning how to do chores, understanding that every member of the family is a part of a team and we all must do our part to keep the house clean. The way I sell this is that the faster it gets done the faster we can do the fun parts of our days and make sure that we spend quality time together playing sports outside or just spending time together doing activities outside of the house. My pet peeve is when people sit their kid in front of the TV and put either a game console on or a TV show on. There’s no interaction or learning. I like to read to my son and we spent the summer teaching him how to write. In the car, we practice our math. I just think that sometimes people of Latino descent get stereotyped a certain way and I want to make sure my son is on the same level playing field as the rest of his classmates. And I do believe that between my husband and I we are definitely achieving that.

Johnson & Johnson and its partners support global motherhood with programs that meet the needs of moms and babies in the U.S. and around the world. We should all be involved in raising awareness about global motherhood and using your klout and social media relevance to do social good!Check out the Johnson & Johnson site for more information. I am impressed by Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to social good and the corporate responsibility information they share on this site.

Want to learn more? Are you going to be at Latism12 this year in Houston? Make sure you visit the Johnson & Johnson suite to get more information!

So tell me, who inspires you to be the best mami you can be?

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post, however all thoughts and ideas are my own.

Parenting Woes

As a parent, have you ever received unsolicited advice about your parenting? I had some family members over this past weekend and they were observing my interaction with my son. Not that I mind when people have tips, I actually welcome it. But they had their children in the early 90’s and I think that parenting in this day and age is a whole different ball game! It just got me thinking to how I was raised and how my son and his friends are acting.
My parents are very traditional, I was born here in the US but they moved here from the Dominican Republic a few years before I was born and brought those traditions with them. So I was raised in a very traditional Dominican household where it was “Si Señora” when you were called and you asked for your “bendiciones” when greeting not only your parents but your grandparents, aunts, and uncles.
I have two sets of nieces and nephews, my brothers are only 18 months apart but one started having children earlier in life and the other later in life. My oldest nieces are in their 20’s with children themselves and they still call me tia and ask for their bendicion even when we are speaking through Facebook. My youngest nieces and nephews are six and up and they don’t do any of that. My mom has been raising my niece since she was 6 months old and now at almost 17 she calls me by my name and not tia.
Now my son? He’s on his own level. We have been battling with him for the past six months, basically since he turned five, about his role in the family as a child and not another adult. I don’t know if it’s single child syndrome but we have to constantly put him in his place. He’s the smartest kid you’ll ever meet with an equally smart mouth but you can’t insist enough that when adults are talking you don’t get in the conversation, that you say excuse me if two other people are talking. It’s nuts. I have talked to my friends who have children the same age and they agree that it’s the time that we are living in. These kids just grow up faster and don’t see anything wrong with their actions even though they are constantly being called out for them.
What about you? Do you notice that the traditions our parents have instilled in us are dying out? Are people just not raising children the same way anymore? What are your thoughts?

White House #TopBlogueras Retreat Recap

DSCF3500 I honestly felt humbled and honored to be a part of this select group Latina bloggers aka blogueras for this Top Bloguera Retreat. Again, I don’t get to go to many events or any events at all really, so when the opportunity arose to go to this event I just couldn’t wait to go and connect with these women that I’ve met and collaborated with online as well as share and learn more about blogging. And we got to go to the White House! Bonus!

Having been a small group, there were more chances for people to grab the mike and share their tips and experiences. I was so impressed with the amount that these ladies were willing to share. Many bloggers don’t like to share their secrets to success or what may not have worked for them.

We also had the opportunity to talk to some great people at the White House. There was Cecilia Munoz, Assistant to the President and Director of Domestic Policy; Liz Fowler Special Assistant to the President, National Economic Council; Alejandra Ceja, Chief of Staff, Office of the Under Secretary, Department of Education; Lisa Pino, Deputy Administrator, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Department of Agriculture; Marissa Duswalt, Deputy Administrator, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Department of Agriculture and many more. These two hours were jam packed with helpful information that as a mom I was definitely interested in hearing. I was also so impressed by my fellow colleagues who were all so eloquent when they went up to ask questions of the panel. I’m not much of a question asker but I felt like I was well represented. And chicas, notice that they were most, if not all Latina women. We have to raise our daughters with the mindset that “Si se puede!” With some hard work they can achieve all their goals!

These past two days were jam packed with an agenda that helped us share and learn from each other as well as get mentored by top executive women at companies like Comcast, Porto Novelli and McDonald’s. I was able to sit and meet with Sylvia Martinez, an executive at McDonald’s who was so helpful in my plights. Trust me, I have plights but I’m not going to discuss them here. The fact that in such a short time we were able to come up with a plan of action as well as some follow up items really has me encouraged as to where my career can go. I love blogging like the next blogger I obviously wouldn’t be doing it for so long if I didn’t, but I consider this at least a hobby and at most a part time job. I still would like to further my career. Being at this Top Blogueras Retreat has given me the opportunity to do that. And for that I am eternally grateful to Ana RC and LatiSM. Check out the Facebook page for all the pictures I took during the trip!

My Interview With Luis Fonsi

Well, sort of. I had an opportunity to phone conference with him but I of course ended up sick. Figures right? I still was able to get my questions through to him and they were able to film the Puerto Rican cutie. Check out his answers to his involvement with St. Jude’s Hospital, his favorite part of the holidays and more! Here’s the video!

Love that the interview said my name as Jay-ayi lol for those of you unsure it’s pronounced Jay.

Family Day at the MAG for Hispanic Heritage Month

IMG-20111002-00388 Every year I take my son to the Memorial Art Gallery for Hispanic Heritage Month. He’s only four but the first time I took him he was only two! They have some great things for the kids, free crafts presentations, music, and displays of different countries. This year the spotlight country was Puerto Rico and the hubby actually joined us for the first time. He’s a Nuyorican and has never visited the country. After seeing the presentation he said he’s learned a lot about his heritage and thinks a trip to PR is in our future. I also bring friends with me who are not neccessarily of Hispanic descent. But it’s great exposure for them and the kids to learn about different cultures. If we don’t do anything else for Hispanic Heritage Month I always take my son to this great day once a year at the Memorial Art Gallery.

What do you do to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?

Marc Anthony on Tour

Marc Marc Anthony is going on tour! I love the sound of his voice. Here are his tour dates. You can purchase tickets at Ticketmaster. Who’s going?

MARC ANTHONY LIVE U.S. TOUR SCHEDULE

9/1

STATE FAIR GROUNDS

MINNEAPOLIS, MN

8:00 P.M.

9/3

STATE FAIR GROUNDS

ALLENTOWN, PA

8:00 P.M.

9/9

IZOD CENTER

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ

8:00 P.M.

9/10

MOHEGAN SUN ARENA

UNCASVILLE, CT

8:00 P.M.

9/16

AMERICAN AIRLINES ARENA

MIAMI, FL

8:00 P.M.

9/18

AMWAY CENTER

ORLANDO, FL

8:00 P.M.

9/22

VIEJAS ARENA

SAN DIEGO, CA

8:00 P.M.

9/23

ORACLE ARENA

OAKLAND, CA

8:00 P.M.

9/24

GIBSON AMPHITHEATRE

LOS ANGELES, CA

8:00 P.M.

Latino Superstitions

The idea of this post came to me today due my personal superstitious beliefs. I don’t think I am gullible but there are some things out there that we believe in that’s like hey why not? Better safe than sorry right? Like “El Cuco”. I’m sure countless precocious children were scared into doing something or not doing something by an elder in their family saying “Cuidado que por ahi viene el Cuco!” “Be careful or the cuco will get you!!” It was like Candyman for us.

I also grew up in Brooklyn during the 80’s so as kids when we grew out of “El Cuco” we scared each other with Virgin Mary. Which really, looking back, what is so scary about Jesus’ mami? I really can’t explain that one. Maybe one of you can! But Candyman? I’m not going to lie I still get scared when I watch that movie!!

So where did this post come from? Well its one of those things again where it’s better to be safe than sorry. I’m getting a serious “mal de ojo” vibe aka evil eye. I don’t know if any of you believe in it but there are certain things that my family was very superstitious about especially when it came to mal de ojo. For example, when you are complimenting a baby you have to say God bless him/her after the compliment. Seriously. We still do it, I find my cousins and I doing it. For example: “Hay pero que lindo esta el chichi*! Que Dios lo bendiga.” “Your baby is just precious! God bless him!” and then if you are the recipient of such a compliment and the person forgets to say the second part of that you chime in and say “Yes, God bless him”. We also purchase the fist for their gold bracelet which also seems to be a tradition in my family. We all had those gold name baby bracelets and the fist was always attached.

I have a gold one that was given to me by an older co-worker years ago. I don’t wear it all the time but from time to time I bring it out and wear it on my chain around my neck. It’s the only gold jewelry I will wear. Otherwise it’s white gold or silver. But I digress. Of course it’s not something where people can come at you with malice. At least this is what I’ve been told. Someone may compliment you or something about you that they may envy and without realizing still give you that dreaded evil eye. So on that note I was thinking of other superstitions that I was raised with.

You can’t touch a newborn baby’s head. I’m not sure why but you just don’t do it.
If you eat something around a hungry pregnant woman and you didn’t offer you will get that sty in your eye. (that’s my favorite!)

I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head. How about you? What do you think of all this? Have any other superstitions to add? Sound off in the comments!

*chichi is Dominican speak for baby. :)

My Christmas Eve Menu

rockxmastree I try to get my family together for Christmas Eve. Noche Buena was my grandmother’s favorite holiday and she loved having us over to eat instead of Christmas Day. So Christmas Eve has become a get together for me and Christmas Day is his side of the family. Although I do invite his sister and brother and their families over for a night of family games as well as a gift exchange. And did I mention food! Here’s what’s on the menu tonight….

Bistec Encebollado

Yellow Rice

Bacalaitos (Cod Fish Fritters…my fave)

Rum Balls for dessert/appetizer

I usually make something in the oven but dessert is going to have to be bought because my gas stove’s oven has crapped the bed. And did I mention it crapped the bed weeks ago? Oh yea, I’m so on top of things. Last weekend I decided to stop at Best Buy to finally get a stove but it wasn’t going to be delivered until after the New Year. So this is my first try at Bistec Encebollado I have my recipe so I’m hoping I don’t mess anything up!

We will be playing cards, drinking and playing Def Jam Rapstar which I love! It reminds me of when my aunts and uncles would get together except for the Rap Star part. And of course it should be dominoes and not cards! ;)

What are your plans this holiday weekend? I wish you and yours a happy and safe holiday!