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I’ve been MIA again for a while, but I wanted to check in and say hi!  So much to do this summer and so little time to just sit and write but I promise we have been trying to keep up with our Spanish every day.  Here is a little recap of the fun we have been having with Spanish.  I hope to find the time to get into more detail on them soon, too.

• We went to Mexico City and Cancun.  The kids were able to meet a TON of family and really fell in love with the culture and language.  This visit especially made them really excited to learn more!
• We started Spanish Immersion Summer School (just two weeks, but still a good program).  They came home singing songs and told me how excited they were to count to 100 in Spanish.  Nice! We also took a couple of fields trips with the school to learn about different cultures.  I love that!
• I also ordered Kids Start Spanish Series.  The boys like the memory game and the flash cards.  The videos are a little repetitive, but then again, repetition is always good, right?
• Oh, and I ordered Whistlefritz Lesson Plans and hope to be able to summon the teacher spirit that runs in my family somehow to keep them engaged.

What have you been up to this summer?  Any tips to keep your kids on the right track for learning languages?  How do you keep up with individual lessons when school starts?  All suggestions welcome! Hope to chat soon!  Enjoy the rest of your summer! 

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Celebrating Life

Saturday was a wonderful day! We were lucky enough to celebrate with some amazing friends in the morning in our full Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) attire ready for a full day of festivities.  The real Day of the Dead is on November 1st, but because that is a Tuesday, the parade and festival was held on the 29th.

El Dia de los Muertos is a beautiful way to pay tribute to our loved ones that are no longer with us. It is not about sadness, but about celebration of life.  I love that I live in a place where these amazing traditions are honored. In Austin, there is a long standing celebration called Viva La Vida (Celebrate Life) where people can show their love for traditions together.  It is on it’s 32nd year!  Now that is an extraordinary feat in itself! Here is a quick description from their site:

Viva la Vida is Austin’s largest and longest-running Day of the Dead festival featuring Latino artists and entertainment, an exhibition, and educational programs in the heart of downtown.  Part of the proceeds will benefit the education programs of Mexic-Arte Museum, whose mission is to enrich the community through education programs and exhibitions focusing on traditional and contemporary Mexican, Latino, and Latin American art and culture.

Being able to share moments like these with my littles makes me one happy mama. My little loves know how much I love the fact that it is about celebrating life and they celebrate it with me.  We have a mini altar for those we love and miss in my house and my boys know all abut this special day.  Here are some fun pictures from the day. I hope you enjoy them!

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Mexican Traditions Explained

Here is a great little article on New Year’s Eve traditions in Mexico. I’m from Mexico City but my family has never done the suitcase tradition. I like it, though. I wonder what my Texas neighbors would think?

We do the red underwear and grapes. Our family sets up 12 grapes (luck for each month)and 12 coins (wealth for each month) in each persons spot at the table. Then on each stroke of the bells at midnight, you take a coin and eat a grape. It gets tricky when you are trying to finish them off before the 12th toll and we have been known to put a coin in our mouths by mistake at some point in our lives. It’s fun to try to do all this and not start laughing hysterically at how silly we all look!

Thanks, Kid World Citizen!

http://kidworldcitizen.org/2011/12/31/new-years-eve-in-mexico-12-grapes-red-underwear-and-packed-suitcases/