New from Music with Sara: Los Monstruos

In case you haven't already seen it, here's a new video from Music with Sara. You can download your own copy here. So cute!!

Celebrate World Food Day with the GROW Method

Part of being a parent is teaching your children to be responsible and respectful...of themselves, of others, and of the world we live in. It is a mindset we have to nurture. Teaching it is easy, but requires constant attention: Turn out the lights when you leave a room. Hold the door open for others. Brush your teeth twice a day.

Eat all your dinner. Don't waste food.

We own and live on a small farm. We keep two cows, two donkeys, a handful of chickens, and even tend our own little garden. The only meat we eat most of the year is venison, thanks to my husband and our freezer chest. All our food scraps go back to the chickens or the dog. So in my house, there's a pretty good understanding of where food comes from.

But not everyone has this opportunity. When we lived in town, we didn't think twice about where our eggs came from, running to the grocery store for some tomatoes, or throwing leftovers in the trash.

This coming Tuesday, October 16th, is World Food Day, and OxFam America is encouraging families to think about our global food sources. They've put together five principles - called the Grow Method - to help us all make wise decisions when it comes to improving our global food system.

Did you know that this world creates enough food to feed everyone on the planet, yet nearly 1 billion people still suffer from hunger? Sadly, about 1/3 of our food gets wasted or lost between the moment it is harvested and the moment it is set on our tables.

By using the Grow Method you help reduce the amount of waste through responsible practices. These five principles include:

• Reducing food waste (things like storing your fruit in the refridgerator so they last longer, keeping leftovers...)
• Buying fair trade to help small scale food producers
• Cooking smart to use less water and energy
• Buying foods that are in season
• Eating less meat and dairy

You can learn more in their short eBook, available for viewing here.

You can also make a difference and support World Food Day signing up to host a World Food Day dinner discussion. Oxfam has tons of free materials including a discussion guide, placemats, and recipe ideas from acclaimed chefs Jamie Oliver, Mary Sue Milliken, and others. Everything can be found at www.oxfamamerica.org/worldfoodday.

Or if you are already a conscientious consumer and would like to share some recipes that employ one or more of the above principles, you can Share GROW method recipes on Pinterest and we’ll add them to our GROW Method Cook Book! Just tag your pin with #GROWmethod to add it.

Or why not snap photos of your World Food Day meal on Instagram and tag them with #WFD2012? Then check out their site to see photos from all over the world.

Día de los Muertos Bilingual Mobile {PRINTABLE}

Abuelita flew in yesterday...but she's sick. So that means lots of juggling going on over here, but I wanted to get this posted for the weekend. My son had the best time putting our bilingual Day of the Dead mobile together, so I think your nenes will, too.

This mobile features Día de los Muertos themed images, and are labeled in English on one side and Spanish on the other. It is colorful and easy to put together. Just print, cut, and glue. (You'll also need glue and something with which to punch holes.)

Remember, you'll have until midnight Saturday to download your free copy. After that it goes into the MommyMaestra TpT store.

Click here to download your copy

Enjoy!

Why My Children's Education Matters



© lenets_tan - Fotolia.com

As a mother of two young children, education is subject that I am extremely passionate about. I know that a good education is the best gift I can give my kids. It provides protection from poverty, increases their self-esteem, and gives them an opportunity to pursue their own dreams.

Earlier this year, I heard education expert Mariela Dabbah say that college graduates typically earn a million dollars or more as adults than those without a degree. I expect this has to do with the fact that college students are motivated to work hard and excel in their field of interest - otherwise, why bother going to college, no? And the fact that the knowledge and training they receive in college makes them better qualified for higher paying positions. And while making money is not really the point I want to emphasize with my kids, it certainly is nice when you can get paid well for making your dreams a reality. 

I've always felt that if you go to college, you're investing in your career. And to me there is a big difference in a career and a job. A job is a place you go to earn some money. You may or may not enjoy it. But a career is where you invest your time, effort, knowledge...in effect, a little part of yourself. You build a reputation and rely on it to provide you with additional opportunities to better yourself and your field.

Education Matters to Me

I know that for me, college was one of the best times of my life. I learned so much about the things I was passionate about and laid the foundation to my current career. (I was an English major with a writing emphasis.) I travelled, met my husband, and learned without a doubt who I was, what I valued, and what I wanted to do with my life.

I want the same for my own children. I want them to find fulfillment in knowing their work is valued, that they've done their best, and made a difference in the world.

I look around me now and see so many people who have lost their focus and are leading lives they have "settled for" rather than ones with which they are joyful and satisfied. I don't want that for my kids. And I know that the one thing I can give them to help them avoid this lackluster future is their education.

In our house, there is no question about whether or not they will go to college. We talk about it openly and they take it for granted. Though they are only in 1st and 3rd grade, I am always keeping an eye out for resources to help me pave their path to higher education.

And I'm always willing to share those resources with you so that you, too, can encourage and support your college-bound children.

Here are a few of the college-bound resources for Latino families that I have shared here on MommyMaestra: 

• Top Five Reasons Why Latino Children Need to Go to College
  
  
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund Makes College a Reality for Latinos
  
  
• The Empowered Community College Student
  
  
• DSST Online Study Guides for High Schoolers
  
  
• CLEP Study Guides for High School Students

Día de los Muertos Hundred Chart {PRINTABLE}

Today's printable is for the math learners. This download includes two different Día de los Muertos themed hundred charts to help elementary students learn their numbers, and counting by 1's, 2's, 5's, 10's, odds and evens, etc.

I use the hundred chart with my first grader, but it is good for students in PreK through 3rd grade. Hundred charts are used heavily with Saxon Math, but the chart is pretty boring, so if you would like a fun one, consider these.

Click here to download your copy

Remember, this printable is free for download until midnight EST tonight! After that you can find it and other MommyMaestra printables in my TpT store.

Enjoy!

Día de los Muertos Note Cards {PRINTABLE}

I promised that MommyMaestra readers would always receive an opportunity to download any printables that I create for free. So in honor of Día de los Muertos, I have quite a few printables coming this week, but each one will only be available for free to MM readers that day until midnight EST. After that, you'll have to stop by my TpT store to purchase a copy.

There's been a lot of toiling going on over here. The creative juices are flowing, Mamas! And so my first printable is one of my favorites: Día de los Muertos note cards. This set includes four different printable designs. Blank on the inside, they print up two to a page, so that you trim it straight down the middle. They are so adorable!! Perfect for writing an invitation to a Day of the Dead party, or simply to jot down a quick note to 'Buelita, these cards will liven up even cold, rainy days.

Here's a peek of the cards:

Click here to download your copy

To see other MommyMaestra printables, please visit my TpT store.

Un abrazo!



A Healthy Self Image Begins at Home

© kmiragaya - Fotolia.com

How many of you have daughters? I have one. And she is smart and beautiful with a mind of her own. I look at her and wonder if I was ever as self-confident as she is now, determined to do great things, knowing she is fully capable of anything she puts her mind to.

But when I look at her, I also worry. I worry about how she will feel about herself in a few years when she enters high school and experiences being compared to others. When media and society begin throwing certain ideas her way, telling her she's not beautiful unless she looks a certain way or wears certain clothes. Whether it be another person or her own mind that takes measure and finds her lacking, I wonder if she will be strong enough to always feel beautiful and proud of herself.

I remember that it wasn't until I was in my late teens when I realized the value of inner beauty. I think it was when I overheard someone say that one of my best friends wasn't beautiful. I was outraged because, of course, I thought she was. But when I started thinking about it, I realized that maybe she wasn't what most people would consider beautiful on the outside, but to me she was lovely because of who she was as a person. I knew she was sweet and kind and joyful. And that inner beauty spilled over and out into her smile, her laugh, and gentle touch.

The reality is that outer beauty is subjective. It fades and changes as we grow. I remember my 'Buelita...actually, she was my great-grandmother on my mother's side. And she was truly one of the most beautiful women I've ever known in my life. She had gray hair, wrinkles, beauty marks, moles and age spots. She was round and huggable. And she is my lesson in life when it comes to beauty.

I tell her story to my daughter. I show her pictures. And I know that my daughter recognizes that beauty is what you make of it. I point out other people we know and ask her questions like, "Do you think [Insert Name Here] is beautiful? Why or why not?"

So it makes me really glad when I see companies tackling this issue, too. This weekend is the 3rd Annual Dove Self-Esteem Weekend. They kicked it off in New York with a silent march to Times Square, which perfectly represents all the noise and distractions that women - moms, grandmothers, tías, hermanas - have to break through to reach girls. "Let's Talk" is this year's theme, encouraging women to start the conversation with their girls.

For so many young girls, anxiety about their looks begins at an early age and affects their self-esteem. It holds them back from pursuing goals, friendships, opportunities, and dreams. According to Dove global research, 74% of girls (ages 10-17) feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful, but only 11% are comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves. How horribly sad is that??!?

Of course, everyone has the opportunity to make a difference in a girl's self-esteem, but more than half of young girls around the world say their mother is their #1 role model. As a mother to one beautiful daughter, this reminds me to be mindful of the things I say. And I would encourage all of you to take time to start a conversation about beauty with your own daughters. And try to do it on a regular basis.

You can visit ViveMejor.com (Dove's Spanish site) to download free tools to motivate and inspire a girl in your life. Here it is in English. The Let's Talk Toolkit includes a discussion guide to help moms and mentors start a conversation on beauty and self-esteem. They have one-on-one activities for mothers and daughters (I LOVE THEM!!!), as well as classroom activities.

Let's help our girls develop a healthy self-esteem, valuing themselves because they know they are beautiful.

How do you develop your daughter's self-esteem? Please share your tips with us...

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Dove and Latina Blogger Connect. All opinions, though, are strictly mine.

Are You Going to LATISM'12?

I know there are a fair number of bloggers out there following MommyMaestra, so I'm taking a moment to encourage those of you to attend this year's Latinos in Social Media (LATISM) conference in Houston. Last year was the first time I was able to attend their conference (in Chicago) and nothing but great things came as a result of it. I made some fantastic connections that allowed me to share more education materials and resources with you, as well as additional opportunities to encourage more Latino families to get involved in their children's education.

Regardless of whether you are an experienced education blogger or a beginner, the conference will provide you with a chance to expand your knowledge base and network with others of similar interest. You can focus on how to get into blogging, how to become a better blogger, or attend workshops on more specific topics such as how some are leading bilingual students to success, creative uses of technology in education and more.

The LATISM conference focuses on four tracks: Education, Health, Business, and Technology. And there are companies who are really interested in investing in these areas sponsoring or attending the conference. As a result of last year's conference I made contacts that helped me to become a PBS Ambassador, Plaza Familia contributor, and write a few articles for other sites, such as FOX News Latino. 

So if you have the opportunity to attend, and especially if you live in the Houston area, I want to personally invite you to attend. They only have a few tickets left, so get yours soon!

NASA Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

This year, NASA is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a series of short videos featuring many of their Hispanic team members.

If you have time to watch, you'll get an opportunity to see the diversity of Hispanic people they have working for them, and learn a tiny bit about each one's background and what their job entails.

Enjoy!

Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story

A few weeks ago, I was invited by Becky of KidWorldCitizen to participate in a Cinderella Around The World book review project. Her goal is to show the diversity found within the "Cinderella" stories of different cultures. So I chose Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story (aff link).

Adelita is not an especially old tale. One of my favorite children's book authors/illustrators, Tomie dePaola, wrote it in back in 2004. But I absolutely love the cultural spin on the traditional tale. Adelita, as I'm sure you can guess, is our Latina Cinderella and the heroine of our book. The story begins with the (short-lived!) love story of Adelita's parents, Adela y Francisco. But her mother dies shortly after she is born and Adelita is raised by her beloved papá and his trusted family maid, Experanza. Adelita, of course, grows up to be a beautiful young woman. But her happy childhood takes a turn for the worse when her father marries the selfish Señora Micaela de la Fortuna (who happens to have two ugly, vain daughters of her own).

Next thing you know, Francisco has passed away unexpectedly, and Doña Micaela forces Adelita to work like a slave. Esperanza gets the boot out of the house and Adelita must work alone...she's lonely. There is no magical Bibbety Fairy Godmother in this story, but sweet Esperanza comes to Adelita's rescue in much the same manner when Adelita is not allowed to attend a neighbor's fiesta in honor of the return of their son.

This book is so delightful for me because of all the Mexican touches dePaola gives to the tale. The story includes embedded Spanish words, as well as cultural situations. But perhaps the best part of this book are the illustrations. From Adelita's traditional dress, rebozo, and even hairstyle to the colorfully decorated setting, this book fairly oozes Mexican culture. And you'll love how they've replaced the glass slipper issue!!

It has won a special place in the heart of my own daughter and rests on her special shelf of books never to be sold or given away.

This book is available on Amazon and Book Shop. Or request it from your local library!

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Las Adelitas for Kids & Young Adults
  
  
• Children's Books about Mexico
  
  
• 28 Bilingual English-Spanish Fairy Tales & Fables
  
  
• Juanita the Spanish Lobster from Maestro Classics

Third Latinos Rumbo al College Webinar Airs Tonight

Don't miss tonight's third episode of the four-part bilingual webinar series, Latinos Rumbo al College. Tonight's episode centers around the theme, Finding Mentors and Building a Support System. It will be presented in English at 7 p.m. EDT, followed by the Spanish version at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

Registration is free and is only necessary once for access to all the webinars in the series. Hosted by Mariela Dabbah, an award-winning author and expert on education and career
issues, this bilingual series is geared for both English- and Spanish-speaking families who are interested in sending their children to college, but are wondering if they can afford it financially or have questions about the college application process. Mariela gives sound advice and step-by-step information to help students and their parents make a college degree a reality.

Mango Jicama Salad {RECIPE}

by Angelica

The first time I tried Jícama I was 6 years old. My mom picked up this brownish rough vegetable and placed it in our grocery cart. She noticed the look in my eye and said, "Trust me you will like it."

Why do ALL moms say this? Later that day I spotted her peeling the jicama and curiosity got the best of me and asked her if I could try a piece. Hmmm crunchy, juicy and crispy I LIKED jicama. I smiled at my mom and she had that look in her eye, you know that I told you look.

Okay mom you win. Since that day Jicama has been one of my favorite foods. I toss it with lime juice and salt for an afternoon snack or dip thick slices into guacamole at dinner. But if I had to choose my favorite way to eat jicama it would be in this salad. My mom made it for my 7^th birthday party and I loved it so much we have served it at all my birthdays since.
When Mommy Maestra asked me to share one of my favorite flavors for Hispanic Heritage Month I knew I had to shine a light on Jicama.

In my best mom impression "Trust me you will like it."

----　
The name jícama is from the Nahuatl word, xicamatl. Jícama is the name of this native Mexican plant, as well as the name of the edible root. It also goes by the names ofyambean and Mexican turnip.Jicama can weigh up to twenty kilograms, but you will never see them in the stores this big. Usually they are between one half to one kilo (1-2 pounds) in weight.

Jícama has a water content of 86-90%, and is high in dietary fiber. Their nutritional claim to fame is that they are an excellent source of prebiotic fiber. 　　

Ensalada de Jicama, Mango y Pepino

Serves 6-8
1 jicama, peeled and sliced in 1/2 thick matchstick slices
3 mangoes, peeled and sliced as jicama
3 cucumbers, peeled as jicama
1 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Combine pomegranate juice, olive oil, cilantro and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with jicama, mango and cucumber. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

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Angelica ~ A 12-year-old homeschooler with dreams of becoming a pastry chef.

Addicted to comics, food network, and carnival rides, Angelica loves taking over her mom's kitchen. She is currently working on perfecting her pie crust while her family reaps the benefits. You can find her sharing her baking skills over at Sweet Life.