About La Mother Tongue


La Mother Tongue is my medium to share the joys and challenges of being a new parent as well as to share how we make a conscious effort in our daily life to bring baby up bilingual.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Búsqueda de Bichos

Sofía LOVES bugs.  Although I’m not particularly a huge fan of them, I’m really glad that she has taken to things that help her receive a well-balanced education.  (Math and Sciences are screaming for more female representation in la USA.)  In earlier posts, I have written about the fantástico party favors that Sofía’s amiga Victoria gives out at her fiesta de cumpleaños.  Well, one that I didn’t document was Victoria’s first cumpleaños.  Among the bag of goodies that we received was a bug carrier with tweezers. 
We have collected bichos before, but evidently our simple bucket didn’t make it nearly as exciting as the fancy bug carrier---and the tweezers of course.  (These are super important to Sofía... and well, to me too because I didn’t really want to touch any of them!)
We found some really cool things both bichos and non-bicho.  Of course we had to categorize them on a tabla also.  This is a really great actividad to involve everyone in the familia (and barrio because Sofía took the bichos to our neighbor’s house to show them too!) and get outside paying more attention to Nature. 

Saturday, July 28, 2012

¡Feliz Día de Independencia Perú!

Since I’ve been sick for the past three weeks, we haven’t been able to plan much of anything special and so Perú’s Día de Independencia kind of was brushed under the table.  (Although we did eat a yummy take-out Lomo Saltado from a super deli Peruvian Restaurante!)
The best way I can honor Perú on this day is to share again this video.  Peru’s Ministry of Tourism decided to invest in really advertizing the great things about Perú in order to increase tourism.  Although this video is a bit long….it really is worth it!  It captures aspects very peruanos in a comical way and had both mi esposo and I laughing a la carcajada and tears rolling down our faces!
¡Disfrútalo!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Mi Primer Corte de Pelo

Cartoon Cuts.  It is all new to me and if I didn’t have a child who freaked out about the thought of having someone cut her hair, I would have scoffed at this place!  But I’m a believer!  The bright colors and fun decorations helped keep Sofía in the door, the video concept was a curiosity, but the wonderfully patient peluquera is the real reason we were able to get a trim.  The woman was great with Sofía and obviously had lots of experience with children who didn’t want anything to do with the shears.  She snuck the trim in while I was holding Sofía who was captivated by Dora. 
Two thumbs up for them!  We’ll definitely be going back there---unlike our very unpleasant experience at the Odontólogo!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Tío, Tía Cathy y Prima Laura!

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Tío, Tía Cathy y Prima Laura!
Sofía made and decorated the torta SOLA!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

How to Use an EpiPen!

Whether you or your niños have allergies or not, it wouldn’t hurt to be familiar with how to administer an EpiPen.  Many of us hold playdates at our homes for children who have EpiPens, but would you know how to use it if you had to?

Here is a great video from Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Colombus, Ohio (Honor Roll list in U.S. News & World Report 2012-13 Best Children’s Hospitals) with great instructions on how to use the EpiPen. 

Monday, July 23, 2012

Dora and Shakira

Did you know that Dora has grown up?  Maybe you all did, but it was a surprise to me when Sofía found this video on YouTube (Yes, Sofía found it all by herself—great parental supervision was going on evidently!) Anyway, I’ve been wanting to introduce Shakira to Sofía for a while now and somehow this fell into my hands!  Really, what is not to love about Shakira! (Now that she’s cleaned up her act a bit!)  You can read all about her great Philanthropic ventures here, --there are too many for me to talk about in this little post!  But I will highlight that she is all about Education for All.  She has a foundation, Pies Descalzos, which has built schools around Colombia and other countries as well.  I can comfortably say that she shares the same values about Education as many of us and it is inspiring! I’m also SUPER thrilled that Sofía and Shakira share the same cumpleaños!  

Well, evidently Shakira teamed up with Dora and created an excelente video to help niños understand the concept of helping others.  Although I’m bummed that the video is in Inglés, I’m really thrilled that it exists!   

The Video is broken up into 4 parts…..although if you have YouTube Downloader, you can save it all together in one place!

¡Cuidado…the tune is pegajoso!
¡Disfrúten!

Todos Juntos:  Shakira y Dora Parte 1 de 4


Todos Juntos:  Shakira y Dora Parte 2 de 4


Todos Juntos: Shakira y Dora Parte 3 de 4


Todos Juntos: Shakira y Dora Parte 4 de 4


Saturday, July 21, 2012

¡Feliz Cumpleaños Abuelo!

What better way to celebrar Abuelo’s cumple than with a homemade sign and

deli carne asado from a Churrasquería!
Sofía sure does LOVE her Abuelo!

Friday, July 20, 2012

¡Feliz Día de Independencia Colombia!

Playing for Change, "a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music", decided to take Carlos Vives’ song, Tierra del Olvido, and have 80 diferente músicos record it and together create one fantástico video musical for Colombia.  Take note of the diferente instruments, the diferente colors of skin, woven hats and colors of buildings.  They feature a varied representation of diferentes partes of the country.  I feel like every one of the vistas used to be my old hangout!  Hmmm…one day we all will be able to visit our “homes” again!
Enjoy!

¡Feliz Día de Independencia Colombia!


Thursday, July 19, 2012

¡Being Bilingual is Better for Los Niños!

SpanglishBaby published this super-excelente gráfico about why Being Bilingual is Better for Children.  There is plenty more to the gráfico, so if you are thirsty for más….check it out and spread the word!


Saturday, July 14, 2012

Friday, July 13, 2012

Juego de Colores Con Papi

Sofía and her Papi created a new juego to play outside with chalk.  If you missed our Number Juego in Chalk, you can check it out HERE on SpanglishBaby  All you need is some space, a ball, and chalk.

Papi drew two lines of identical colored sqaures (large enough to stand in).  The person with the ball calls out a color and both people run to that color square in within his or her respective line of squares.  The person with the ball throws the ball to the other person from that color and the other person must receive the ball in that color.  It is a lot of running around and coordination.  You can jazz the juego up anyway you like to make it more or less challenging.  Sofía seems to like to change the rules a lot according to mi espsoso.  And she LOVES the to play it with her Papi!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

¡Nueva English Word del Día: Amazing!


Sofía learned a nueva word en Inglés.  I’m not sure from where or when, but today she decided to debut it with one of her English-speaking amigas!  The arcilla (clay) we used in an art actividad AND the food in her almuerzo were both “amazing”! 
The cerebro truly is amazing!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

¡Son Las Ocho!


¡Paaapppáááá, SON LAS OCHO!  ¡SON LAS OCHO! Sofía screamed this morning when she woke up!  Evidently, her Papi has been teaching her to tell time on her reloj using the big and little hands and it has paid off!  (Now I don’t feel like such a flojera for not changing the digital part of the reloj to the correct time!)

Monday, July 9, 2012

Verano Fun Coverage Restaurante Review # 2 OeGadGib

Verano Fun Coverage
Restaurante Review # 2 OeGadGib Korean BBQ
So we have been indulging in trying new restaurantes this Verano, but I’ve become a little slack about posting them!

Mi esposo was so excited to try out this new all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ restaurante, so we went on a busqueda for the place in what I call the “Little Seul” of Northern Virginia.  I’ve been to Seul and thoroughly enjoyed the food, so I was excited to share the experience with the esposo and Sofía.  Unfortunately we were disappointed.  The local was small, but throw in that it was dingy and I was turned off, but tried to keep an open mind.  (Some of the best food I’ve eaten has not been in a passing health inspection establishment!)  But it also wasn’t the cleanest place either.  What really bothered me though was the BBQ aspect of it.  If you ordered the all-you-can-eat BBQ, (which everyone at the table was required to do) then little grilling burners were brought to your table and you basically cooked your own food.  (It was not like at the old Hibatchi Japans where you had a skilled chef to cook the food for you.) The grill was so close to our bare arms (less than 12 inches) that I was burned with splattering oil the entire dinner.  I tried to shield Sofía from it the best I could.  So not only was I burned, I had to cook my own food……hmm…2 things I could have done at home for free!  When the waitress saw me jump the first time I was splattered, her comment was, “It only hurts for a moment and people still come back for more!” Also, with the grill attached to our table, it made it nearly impossible to get up from our booth and it also left a very compromisingly small area to even pass by.  Although almost every family there had young children, I wouldn't rate OeGadGib very Kid-Friendly.


The food was OK.  It was not the best Korean cuisine I’ve had in Metropolitan D.C. It was really disappointing. The dinner started with a sopa, a concept which I really like.
The portions were very modest which I liked (no wasting food) and certainly you could really eat all you wanted. The ensalada was delicioso as well as the arroz, but the carne was a bit fatty and drenched in oil—very contrary to the food I experienced in Seul.
 The wait staff was very good.  They were pleasant and helpful in investigating our allergy questions.  But they were very, very busy and it was hard to get their attention.  Their rush made us feel like we were being cattle prodded out of the restaurante so that they could make room for more customers.  (Know a Latino who doesn’t like to gozar a meal?)
Lastimamente, we were very bummed by OeGadGib because we had heard many good reviews.  We will have to search for a different place to fill our antojos the next time they arise. Hopefully the next establishment will at least have a website!



Saturday, July 7, 2012

Historietas

In all my travels to various cities and countries around the mundo, I always find a Biblia in every room.  Why?  I can’t even find an answer on the internet.  I found the history of who started it and when and why it was started – Thank You Gideons and the International Bible Society for starting your Evangelical practices in 1823. But what I don’t understand is WHY Biblias have continued to be placed in current hotel rooms.  It doesn’t bother me, just a mystery.  I wonder what non-Christian hotel users think about the practice; are there never complaints? 
Anyway, Sofía became very interested in the Bibias in our hotel room during our trip to the playa.  What she liked the most was the sound the thin silky páginas made as they were being turned.  She asked her Papi to read from those páginas to her every night.  So Papi began “reading” her historietas, making up short personalized stories about Sofía’s adventures each day.  Narcissistic as any three-year-old, she couldn’t get enough of the historietas and begged for más, y más, y más. 

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Potty Training Boot Camp

Potty Training Bootcamp stinks!  (Guess for whom it stinks!)  Day 1 is harder than just changing panales! Uh...Calgon!!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

4 de Julio



Feliz Dia de Independencia! Ours was very low-key as we just arrived home from the playa that afternoon.  So our little asado was attened by just the sun-tired beach-bums and a few felines.  Chef Paco diligently attended to the carne. Miau!

The food was deli and tipico Summer asado treats!

The only felina however, to actually eat the carne, however, was the tierna Gatita Sofia!
What is a Día de Independencia without a little fireworks and
an enthralled onlooker!
¡Feliz Día de Independencia!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Antojos del Pasado

When is the last time you have been to one of these! My esposo had antojos de un Drive-In (like he used to frequent in Peru), so we took a paseo to Sonic! The wait staff even wear wheels!!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Molly the Perro and her New Kittens

If you missed the story if true amor and selflessness, you really need to check it out over at The Huffington Post.
(photo courtesy Huffington Post)