Blog Birthday numero dos

The second birthday of this blog passed and I forgot about it, and so I passed up yet another opportunity to be completely self-absorbed and all happy happy about me. As a blahger, aren't I supposed to navel gaze?

OK, so it's been two years, at least technically because I abandoned this space for a few months before picking it up again with regularity in the fall of 2006.

The blog was begun, mostly, to help provide some additional opportunities for web surfers to find Los Pollitos. The beauty of a blog, as you smarties know, is that I can pepper this thing with the necessary words -- Spanish t-shirt, onesies en espanol, Cuban sayings -- and hurrah and hail Maria, the gods of Google bring them right into my warm and waiting little lap. It's also a way to keep in touch with customers and let them know when new stuff or new news happens, way before I can write and design a real newsletter. (sign up here for newsletter and special deals).

Coming in a close second in motivation, of course, was to share my struggles and successes in raising a bilingual child all the way up here in wooded solitude and far away from the fast-talking Cuban abuelitos.

It was a genius idea because I've met some wonderful and inspirational people who are doing the same thing (see my links section). Sharing the quest for bilingualism also has kept me honest and ever-trying because I have to come back here and report how I am doing, or not doing. It's my own little 12-step program.

Speaking of which, it seems appropriate to tell you I'm about more than these two subjects, and you probably already know that, but these topics are what I choose to share with the strangers in Dubai who find me instead of the Latina they're looking to spank, or those who are looking for pictures of gorditas and hot mamis.

If I knew you in real life you'd hear me complain a little more, though I would tell you I'm trying not to. I'd use the f-word, for I have a potty mouth. I would tell you about my love of this and this and this and my no-likey of this and this. I'd quote my therapist, tell you most everyone could use a 12-step program (Hi, my name is Carrie) an interest outside their kids, and at least one pair of blue shoes. And I'd make you a flan that would never let you forget me. I'd also finally tell you my charming and talented husband's name.

But, this is what we've got. You're a hit on my counter, my friend from afar, a generous commenter. I am your time-waster, your some-time value read. Maybe I am more, maybe I am less. No se.

But, know I'm happy to share what I do share and I'm grateful for those of you who stick around, send me little love notes and forward the site to your familia and friends.

The beauty of a blog is that it is organic and evolving and as we move forward, tell me what you want -- more bilingual, more business, more Boonie, more free media-whore tips (and oh boy, do I have some mega-whorish tips to share soon!).

Y muchas gracias...un besote grande.

El futuro ...

I nearly spit coffee out of my nose this morning. Here's a link courtesy of a local friend...And, if you've ever hung out at a job pick-up site, you'll know...

Two more learn to speak Spanish podcasts

We are in recovery from Spring Break here today. The casa and the office are "de patas p'arriba,'' so this is a brief love note and referral.

A couple more Spanish learning podcasts to add to your playlists: Voices en Español and Cody's Cuentos. (I included some others in a post here last week.)

Voices is a conversational podcast for upper-intermediate and advanced students and Cody's Cuentos are -- clap with me here -- traditional children's stories in Spanish.

The sites are run by a former Wall Street Journal reporter, Eleena de Lisser, now living in Madrid. (Lucky girl.) She's doing a great job and it was a treat to listen to La Caperucita Roja (Little Red Riding Hood) and Los Tres Cerditos (The Three Little Pigs) with Maria over and over and over again this morning.

Feliz Lunes.

What Spring looks like from here...mostly

hairy moss, fresh and green


tromping in the woods

deer skull, found by maria.

Seeking out the Spanish lessons and ayuda

It is mid-March and there's a slight panic building about my slack-ass ability to keep pace this summer with Maria's phenomenal progress in learning Spanish. The espanola she hangs with all day is very proud of her and tells me so as she wrinkles her brow at me and my slack-ass-ness. She is gentle about it, but still, I know she thinks: "Get on the programa, Mama.''

In preparation for intensivo time, I have been searching out free Spanish podcasts on iTunes and downloading whatever I find. No loyalty as I weed them out...and there are plenty to weed out.

My favorite is Notes in Spanish, which offers conversations between a Madrilena and an Englishman, who speaks pretty darned well. He's got that "th'' mastered. You'll find basic, intermediate and advanced conversations. And, I love how she gently corrects him as he speaks. A lot.

Then, I found Discover Spanish and I'm somewhat in love with the guy, Johnny Spanish. Great voice, but ay, why that name? Rant aside, it is fun and Maria has enjoyed listening and repeating the lesson as she colors her hands blue with a Crayola marker, or sneaks into the pantry to find another chocolate Kiss.

Then, there is Sra. Roman at Vocabulario Espanol. (search for it on iTunes). It's entirely in Spanish and it kicks off each lesson with a nice little "1-2-1-2-3-4'' musiquita. The lessons are on everything from "me gusta...'' to "la comida'' to "la casa.'' Of course, I almost fainted when la Sra. said "no me gusta el agua.'' Do you know how much I nag my kid to drink water? Sra. Roman doesn't like vegetales either. Sra. Roman might have a limited run at our house this summer.

So, it was a welcome surprise to come upon Professor Pocket, a new bilingual music and story CD produced by two in-laws, one of whom is Dominicana. The first CD is "Our Silly Farm Adventure.'' The songs are fun (it includes Los Pollitos Dicen), Desi the Dinosaur has a great voice, and Maria has insisted on listening to it each day since we got it last week.

You can preview the songs here and purchase from their site or download on iTunes. (Good God, I love iTunes). The second CD is due later this spring.

Now, when I told my husband about my sumo summer Spanish plans he added this: "Hey, what about downloading some Italian too?''

Cohopio.

Now you and Jennifer Lopez can have something in common...

Click over here and register to win a kinda-sorta-like-Jennifer's gift basket filled with celebrity-specific deliciousness. Contest ends March 31.

You guys go for the basket, I am going to hold off until I can kind-sorta get Jennifer's pre-baby body.

Smelling change

I have, I admit, become addicted to Yoani Sanchez's blog -- the Cuban woman in Cuba who writes about whatever the hell she wants. This morning, there was a link to a new one, Potro Salvaje (Wild Pony) -- a new blog giving Cuban bloggers tips on getting away with posting in internet cafes, getting tourists to help them post undercover, and they're linking to sites Cubans are officially banned from reading.

They call it a "virtual raft.'' So clever.

It smells like change.

It's amazing to me because during my trips to Cuba I met so many young people who just shook their heads, had no idea what to do, or how to do it, or what to do it with. (My last trip was in 1998, so not too much Internet access). One young man, whose father held an esteemed government position, said he trusted no one and therefore could not even bring up the subject of making change. Even your brother would turn you in if it meant getting something as reward.

Looks like brothers and sisters have joined forces.

The gringo speaks: Two for one

I'm in the middle of telling my husband about my father's trip to the immigration attorney today when he starts grousing about the basket we use to recycle newspapers (my husband hates it, I love it). I tell him he's acting like an old Cuban woman. I continue to tell him that my step-sister in Cuba now has to write a letter asking again for permission for her adult children, son-in-law and granddaughter to leave Cuba with her and her husband. We had been expecting an estimated arrival date for all of them today.

"There should be a law: For every one of you who comes, two go back,'' he says, and laughs at his own hilarity.
"Oy! You know I'm going to blog about this now, don't you?''

Sweetness in an Upa tee

The latest baby picture e-mailed to
Los Pollitos Dicen's World Wide Headquarters
in Tiny Town Tennessee.
Que nino tan rico!

In other deliciousness, we got ourselves a sales rep to join us in the effort of clothing all the children of the world in little Spanish chicken t-shirts.

It's a good day here.
Hope it's a good day there.

Oh, and the peanut free chocolate Easter Bunny from Divvies I wrote about a few posts back is on sale again. I just ordered one. Whew!

A hammock in winter

It snowed last night.
It's March.
That's not right, is it?
But, my hammock tells me that we'll be together again soon.




Redneck snowman

Easter basket chic chicks

The Easter I was 5, my aunt gave me a giant plastic purple blow-up bunny. I can almost still smell the plastic. I loved it so much. So not a gift for our green-era children, but I have to say I'm glad I lived a childhood where a little bad wasn't so bad. Not that I am giving my own kid toxic, plastic bunnies.

As I plan Maria's Easter basket -- and this is the first year she's really getting one -- and as I work my way around the her peanut allergy and my allergy to too much, I went hunting on the Web for Easter basket gift ideas.

Of course, I am here to pitch that you, dear reader, get yourself a little Pollito tee, tuck it into an Easter basket and present it to your favorite toddler or a mom-to-be at her baby shower. The egg is made of wood and can be decorated and kept as a treasure box. (Imagine it with a little green Easter grass and tiny little jelly beans. Sweet!) If you're game, here's a 20% off discount code: Easter08.

OK, so moving beyond the obvious, below are some lovely ideas to help you -- to help me -- fill the Easter basket.

No plastic purple bunnies.

Sweet, sweet, sweet little Pio Pio Pio onesie. Even sweeter wrapped in tulle.
Perfect idea for Easter, baby shower or birthday gift.

A baby chick costume!

Felted little chick toy.

A baby chick cookie cutter from CopperGifts.com.
They've got a couple of egg-shaped cutters too.

Beautiful little hair pins by siiri.

Allergen-free candy from Divvies, where unfortunately, the chocolate bunny has been sold out. But, they have bright jelly beans and gum balls.

Spring is Here/Llego la Primavera, a sweet bilingual book by Taro Gomi in English and Spanish.

Mother Hen and baby chicks picnic and tea set.

My credit card is going to hurt later.

Cuba by a Cuban in Cuba and what's up with those Y names.

My mom has a pretty hilarious childhood friend who tells great stories. She hasn't been in the states too long and so, lived most of her life under dictatorship. When I was in Miami in January she came to visit and had me both bent over in laughter, and head hung in sadness, with tales from Cuba.

This woman, like my family, is from Banes, a pretty little tip on the eastern side of the island. She told me men women and children trolled the beach daily looking for items that were either thrown off, or had fallen off, of freighters and cruise ships. Everything was put to use.

One time hundreds of Chinese straw mats washed ashore and everyone in town suddenly had new carpeting. Four apples (not found in Cuba) were collected once and the oldest person of the group, this woman's father, said he'd take the first bite. If he lived, everyone else could have a slice. They all lived. And the littlest ones tasted apple for the first and only time.

Empty jugs also were a common find, but she could never figure out why people kept those.

My mom's friend worked at the hospital filling out birth certificates. She helped talk a few guajiros out of odd names. Many she didn't: Danger, Sindulfo, Usnavy (Get it, U.S. Navy?), Katiuska, after a Russian rocket launcher.

Her favorite however was this story: A woman who had about five kids insisted the new baby's name start with a Y, as was a popular custom in Cuba in the '70s and '80s. They were mostly made up names like Yudislady, Yulieski, Yunio. But, the new mom couldn't figure out which name to pick, or how to make another one up.

"Yo ni se,'' she told my mom's friend. ("I don't know.'')
And then she quickly said: "Oh, that's nice! Let's do that one. Yonise.''

And so, Yonise aka "I don't know'' was named.

The point of this?

A friend last week introduced me to a blog written by a young Cuban in Cuba about Cuba. It is raw and honest. At least, I hope she's being honest and speaking from her own gut. The conspiracy theorists wonder if she's just a tool of the Revolution. It stands to reason, I guess, for many others have been jailed or killed for less. A lot less.

The blog is called Generation Y and the writer, Yoani Sanchez, says: "Generatión Y is a Blog inspired by people like me, with names that start or contain a "Y". Born in the Cuba of the 70s and the 80s, marked by the "schools to the countryside", the Russian cartoons, the illegal exits and the frustration. So, an invitation goes especially to Yanisleidi, Yoandri, Yusimí, Yuniesky and others that drag their Ys, to read me and write back."

Some posts have more than 800 comments. She's gotten international press and many, many hits.

My favorite of the posts I have read is this one, in which she searches all day for a lemon to make tea to soothe her sore throat. She didn't find one.

I hope she is real.

But, even if she isn't, the sentiment and longing and anger she displays is real.

The blog as an English translation button, by the way, and it's pretty good.

Austin and Amigas

I spent this weekend in Austin, the other Music City, with my two best friends. We met in between our respective cities (Nashville and Denver) to unwind and recharge from our jobs as mothers, wives, writers, publicists, Pollito pushers.

Mission accomplished, though I was wide awake at 6 a.m., while the other two slept. Thank goodness for Ira Glass on an Ipod. The margaritas were great, the enchiladas divine. It was 80 degrees, a welcome break from snow here just last week. The vintage shopping is as good as that found in NYC and the company I had, the best in the world. Nothing better than spending hang time with two people you love the best.

And nothing better than starting today with "I missed you, Mami.''

Here are some pictures...

Texas Independence Day Parade, Congress Avenue.
See the sweet little girls on the far side of the street?

Hello, Cowboy

My fantasy job. South Congress Avenue.

Most frequently asked questions at Bobalu Cigar Co. on East 6th Street.
(There really are Cubans everywhere)

Now, this was weird. I didn't mean to take my own portrait. I wanted a picture of the mirror, but I guess because of the mirror's bent, it caught my face, even though I could not see myself in the mirror as I snapped the picture. I actually got scared when I saw the image because it was so unexpected.
And then I took about five more.