Tiki Tiki Blog

Group Buzz, or Que Pasa with You?

Carrie — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:46:09 +0000

Can I admit my brain is melting? Between vacation recovery (I drove 900 miles to NJ for my high school reunion and back) and 98-degree heat, me muero. I have barely kept up with the world in the last two weeks, hence we have been buzz-less.

So, I have a few links to share, but if you’re game, how about leaving us links and coolness you’ve been buzzing about this week?

Me first…In case you don’t already read the fabulous Spanglish Baby, I guest posted over there recently, offering up Sneaky Spanish Lessons.

Latinas are offering their perspective on feminism over at Viva La Feminista, for a series called Summer of Feminista. The essays are wonderful and thought-provoking. My own will run in September.

Spendy for a good cause. Give $3 at Macy’s through August 1 and get a $10 off coupon to use toward one $50 purchase. Your $3 will go to Reading is Fundamental. Find out more at the RIF/Macy’s site.

OK, now you. Open buzz. Que esta pasando in your world?

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How to Make Aguas Frescas with the Kids

Contributor — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:18:37 +0000

(Ed. note: Click on the headline to see the video.)

by Tessa Lemos

Summertime means an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables from Dad’s garden and cool refreshing foods and drink. It also is a time that my children spend a lot of time with my parents. This summer’s harvest has brought forth a lot of berries, cucumbers, peppers, and most recently tomatoes.

Not knowing what to do with so many cucumbers and having run out of friends to pass them onto, my mom and daughter experimented with making aguas frescas with cucumber. It was wonderfully light and refreshing.

After having such a satisfying experience with that recipe, my daughter decided to try making it with mango and the result was equally delicious. It was a little sweeter and thicker but satisfying nonetheless.

Aguas Frescas de Mango
Ingredients:
one mango, peeled and diced
simple syrup
ice
water

Directions: Peel and dice mango. Puree the mango in a blender. Add simple syrup to your taste preference. Pour into a pitcher filled half way with ice. Add water and additional simple syrup to your taste preference.

Simple Syrup Ingredients:
one cup white sugar
one cup water

Directions: Pour both ingredients into a pot and boil for a few minutes until it thickens slightly.

Aguas Frescas de cucumber and lime
Ingredients:
two small cucumbers
one lime
simple syrup
water
ice

Directions: Peel and cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds from the core of the cucumber halves. Loosely chop the remaining cucumber into small chunks. Puree the cucumbers in a blender. Strain the puree. Pour the strained puree and simple syrup into a pitcher filled half full with ice. Squeeze the juice of one lime into the pitcher and mix. Add additional water and simple syrup to your taste preference.

I hope you enjoy the recipes and maybe it will give you an activity to do with the ninos.

Here are some additional great ones too:

Pineapple and ginger agua fresca

Watermelon and ginger agua fresca

Do you have a favorite agua fresca?

Tessa Lemos Del Pino is a Chicana who grew up in the Pacific Northwest. She is a lawyer by training, executive administrator by profession, and organizer by habit. You can read more of her writing on the Tiki Tiki and at Risk A Day. She lives in Nashville, TN.

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Ask La Comadre: My Tween Boy and Fighting Girls

La Comadre — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:31:57 +0000

Dear Comadre,
My 11-year-old son just started middle school this year. He’s always been an extremely well-mannered and mature child and for this reason, tends to be friends with girls. He says the other boys are “gross, rude and childish”. Well, being friends with girls was a fine solution up until this year. I suppose the girls are going through “the change” because they’ve become much more prone to outbursts, drama, back-stabbing, crying, and just out-right mean behavior. My son has been in the middle of this all year as the girls fight and become friends again, over and over, always pulling him into the middle of it. He’s very frustrated because his friends are acting so different and no matter how much he tries to counsel them, they’re back at it the very next day. He’s starting to feel lonely. What sort of advice can I give him?
Concerned Mami

Dear Concerned Mami,
Great question! First of all, congratulations on having your 11-year-old son come to you to discuss and process these experiences. So, how should you advice him?

First, I would try to contextualize things and avoid generalizations. You can begin by letting him know that adolescence can be tough a time for both boys and girls for many reasons. This is a time when teens are trying to figure out a lot of things (e.g., who they are, who to hang out with). In addition, there are real changes going on in their bodies that can affect how teens feel and react to certain situations. One of the most common experiences in adolescence is feeling insecure and confused.

I would explain to your son that perhaps his female friends are feeling insecure with other female peers, and are having a hard expressing that insecurity. This can lead to them acting in ways that are out of character for them. You should also remind him, however, that this can also happen to boys, but that it may not happen in the same way.

Last, let him know that many of these behaviors can be temporary, and that his real friends will come around in due time. I would praise him for being so mindful about his friends, and would encourage him to continue to have these types of discussions with you.

Great job, mom!

La Comadre

La Comadre, Angelica Perez-Litwin, founder and writer of ModernFamilia, is a Certified Professional Life Coach and has a Family Life Coaching practice. She has a PhD in Clinical Psychology and over 15 years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist and counselor. Email your questions to: ModernFamilia@gmail.com

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No Regrets.

Marta — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:20:29 +0000

I don’t know how many posts I’ve started with….“I have my mom for the weekend,” but I know there are many.

My mom, Luz, is in good health. She doesn’t suffer from any disease other than old age.

Her bones are healthy. She has a great appetite. She repeats herself occasionally (96!), but is completely lucid. (If you have not yet seen it, check out this video where she explains how Google and Yahoo work.)

Sometimes she gets tired. And she gets demanding. And she gets unreasonable. And I find myself getting a bit of an attitude. (Like, I’ve never been tired and demanding and unreasonable!)

You know what I’m talking about. I (internally) roll my eyes and think, “Ay, Mami, por favor.”

I confess that I get tired of catering to her needs. Yes. I’m that selfish. (I know. Shut up.)

And then I regroup and remember this: I do not want to have any regrets.

No regrets.

That’s my mantra on the weekends when she stays with us and wants things done her way.

And believe me, her way can be pretty exacting.

For example, she likes the water in the shower to be body temperature. So I test it before helping her get in, with my elbow, just like I tested the bath water for my babies.

She needs three bath towels. Three. Heated in the dryer so that they are toasty. One for her hair, one for her shoulders, another for the rest of her.

She likes three hot meals. The table must be set with real dishes. Spoon and knife on the right, fork on the left. Napkin below the silverware on the right. No paper or plastic for her.

Coffee or tea cups must have matching saucers. No random mugs for her.

There’s a long list of idiosyncratic must-haves. And I go out of my way (and comfort-zone) to provide them.

And sometimes, because of my own selfishness, I balk at her demands.

But I quickly re-group and remind myself, “She’s 96! Show some compassion.”

Then I repeat these words: No regrets.

That phrase generally knocks me off of my selfish-throne and allows me to be gracious.

Because she asks me to do other things that aren’t on the radar of most other ninety-six year olds.

So, without complaint, I do her hair and fix her makeup. And paint her nails.

When she asks for the bright red polish, I laugh and shake my head. “Ay Mami, por favor.”

And I thank God that I get to do this.

No regrets.

(previously posted on MBFCF)

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The Red Umbrella – a giveaway.

Marta — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:18:46 +0000

[NOTE - 7/28/2010 - Congratulations to the winner of The Red Umbrella giveaway: Tracy. Thanks for sharing your story about the Kindertransport, too. Send me your snail mail address and I will get the book out to you. Thank you for entering.]

There is an episode in Cuban history that not many people outside of our community are aware of .

When Castro and his cronies took power, not only was personal property at risk of being confiscated by the new communist government, but parents were going to lose their rights over their own children.

Desperate and terrified Cuban parents made the unthinkable decision to send their children out of the country rather than risk losing them to Marxist-Leninist indoctrination.

Airplane tickets and passports were clandestinely secured. With the help of the Catholic Welfare Bureau (Catholic Charities) of Miami 14,048 (!) Cuban youths were placed in foster homes and orphanages throughout the U.S during those years.

The largest recorded exodus of unaccompanied minors in the Western Hemisphere was known as Operation Pedro Pan. From December of 1960 to October of 1962 they left Cuba, a few at a time.

The Cuban parents who sent their children out of the country didn’t know if they would ever see their children again. Many did not. About half of them were reunited with their parents. But if you were to talk to most Pedro Pans today, they are nothing but grateful to their parents for making this impossibly heartbreaking sacrifice.

My friend, Christina Diaz Gonzalez has taken on the topic of the Pedro Pans and has crafted an absolutely beautiful story. The book is called The Red Umbrella. It is an historical fiction novel that follows 14 year-old Lucia from her carefree life in a small town in Cuba to an unknown future, without her parents, in the heart of Nebraska.

The story strikes a personal chord with Christina, as both her parents and mother-in-law were part of Operation Pedro Pan.

Carrie and I had the privilege and pleasure of meeting Christina in May at Cuba Nostalgia in Miami. (And yes, as a matter of fact, she is absolutely adorable, but that’s not important right now.)

(Of course, Carrie got up close and personal with the video camera and got Christina to give us some Tiki Tiki love.)

I was so personally delighted with the book (and with Christina, herself) that I asked if I could please promote her book. She graciously agreed.

Christina will be in Southern California this coming weekend.

So, readers, please get yourselves over to one of these signings. Get a copy of this beautiful book. Pick one up for a friend. It’s written in an elegantly simple style and would be most appropriate for a young teen. My Lucy is reading The Red Umbrella as I speak write.

Christina will be at:

SCBWI Annual Conference
July 28 – August 2nd
Los Angeles, CA

Saturday, July 31st at 6:30 pm
Vroman’s Bookstore
695 East Colorado Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91101

Sunday, August 1st at 2pm
Borders Bookstore
100 South Brand Boulevard
Glendale, CA 91204
(818) 241-8099

Please go and meet the lovely Christina and and get yourself a copy of her beautiful book. Tell her Marta sent you.

I loved this book so much that I have procured two copies of The Red Umbrella to give away.

To be entered in the drawing, please click on this link and comment on the same post over at MBFCF or right here on the Tiki Tiki. Answer one or both of the following questions:

Are you personally related to or do you know any Pedro Pans?
Is this the first time you’ve heard about the Pedro Pan exodus?

I’ll be choosing a winner on Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 11 am Pacific Time.

By the way, one of the reasons this story impacted me so much…

My brother was a Pedro Pan.

(cross-posted at MBFCF)

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Hitting the Pinata: Birthday Wishes from Friends

Carrie — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:08:04 +0000

(E-mail and RSS subscribers, click the headline link to see the videos)

Thanks to all of you who have been reading along in our archives this week as we celebrated a year of Tiki Tiki. We’re looking forward to many more years, and many more cuentos.

Below are some lovely and thoughtful video wishes sent in by friends and readers.

Thanks for partying with us!

Carrie and Marta

Angelica Perez-Litwin, aka La Comadre, whose column runs here every other Tuesday.

Liz from Thoughts of a Mommy

Yoly and Ronny from YNR Live and Cuponeando

And if you missed this one yesterday, check out Adrian, son of Dariela from Mami Talks.

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Reader Birthday Wishes to the Tiki Tiki!

Carrie — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 19:29:09 +0000

Ana from SpanglishBaby.com

Happy Saturday…You don’t usually hear from us on the weekends, but we’ve got a lot of Birthday Wishes sent in and they’re pretty awesome.

Here are two videos from Adrian, hijo de Dariela of Mami Talks. Look at what we make our kids do for our amigas! Super wonderful. The third is from the talented Señora López of Latina-ish and her two awesome boys, whom I was lucky enough to meet last week.

Thank you to those of you who sent us love and good wishes — like Ana Lilian from Spanglish Baby, above — on our First Birthday/Anniversary.

More to come tomorrow!

Off to eat a Happy Birthday/Feliz Cumpleanos cupcake. Just because.

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A Year of Tiki Tiki Videos

Carrie — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:13:47 +0000

Who knew video blogging your crazy, silly and funny would be such a blast?

We love making videos with cuentos because we know Latinos — with all their color — just work better on video. We’re grateful too for the contributors who have let us put the Flip in their faces and offered up great stories for the Tiki Tiki.

As we celebrate a year of Tiki Tiki, here’s a look back at some of our favorites, but you can find them all on our YouTube page, where you can subscribe or join the Tiki Tiki group to add your own.

Enjoy, and thanks for reading a long with us this week as we celebrate our first year of mucho tiki tiki.

I Have a Latin Mother

Cucu and Yayo by Marta’s mom

What is Tiki Tiki?

Papi Plays by my father

Can I Call You Pepe? by Sylvia of Mama Latina Tips

Ed. Note: The Tiki Tiki Blog turned a year in May 2010. This week, we take a look back at the best of the Tiki Tiki. Please take a moment to comment and share these posts with your friends.

And, if you’re up for it, send us a photo of you with a “Happy Birthday, Tiki Tiki!” or some sort of birthday wish a tu sabor. We’ll run it this coming weekend. E-mail: info @ TikiTikiBlog.com

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A Year of Habla Habla

Carrie — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:59:54 +0000

I love writing essays for the habla habla. It gives me a chance to tell the cuentos I love to tell about my loving and loco Cuban family, not to mention, what it is like to live la vida Latina in the U.S.

Gathered here is a small collection of the essays Marta and I have written in the last year. Perhaps, you’ll discover some you missed. Leave us a comment and tell us what you think…and if you have an essay, you’d like to contribute, pues ven.

A year of Habla Habla:

I Remember, Do You?

Researching Latino Family Roots.

What is a Latina?

Born to be Reina.

Monkeys and Chickens

Coming to America – My Story

El Cocotaso

A Red Carnation

Ed. Note: The Tiki Tiki Blog turned a year in May 2010. This week, we take a look back at the best of the Tiki Tiki. Please take a moment to comment and share these posts with your friends.

And, if you’re up for it, send us a photo of you with a “Happy Birthday, Tiki Tiki!” or some sort of birthday wish a tu sabor. We’ll run it this coming weekend. E-mail: info @ TikiTikiBlog.com

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A Year of Tiki Tiki Contributors

Carrie — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:00:36 +0000

When I went into our archives in search of contributed essays that help define the year we’ve had here on the Tiki Tiki, I had planned to just grab 5. Obviously, I could not stop at 5, and I had a hard time stopping with this list.

I believe Contributed essays and videos are the heart of the Tiki Tiki, for they represent the variety of voice, look and lifestyle among Latinas living in America. The works submitted here made us laugh and made us reflect, and we are grateful for the generosity of our amazing, talented and generous contributors.

Please take a moment to look back at the essays, maybe you’ll find some you missed, and if you love them as much as Marta and I do, please leave them a comment and visit their blogs.

Enjoy.

A Year of Tiki Tiki Contributors:

Googling for Cultura by Liz Cerezo.

The Difference Between a Latino Kid Party and an Anglo Birthday Party by Señora López.

Mango Season by Lindsey Victoria Thompson.

A Little Respect, OK? By Nilki Benitez.

What are You? by Lizzie Bermudez.

soy de tortillas y tamales by Tessa Lemos.

Smart Latina vs. Sexy Latina by Maya Escobar.

She is Easy Book Fodder by Ailen Arreaza.

Tosotones 101: Or, How My American Boyfriend is Becoming a Cubanaso by Maria de Los Angeles.

A “Miss You” Card Gone Wrong, a video essay by Unknown Mami.

I Say Autobus, You Say GuaGua by Roxana Soto.

Trilingual Parrot, Monolingual Son by Jennifer Vides.

Ed. Note: The Tiki Tiki Blog turned a year in May 2010. This week, we take a look back at the best of the Tiki Tiki. Please take a moment to comment and share these posts with your friends.

If you’d like to contribute to the Tiki Tiki, our door is open.

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