tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62509173360800470392012-01-19T10:49:47.803-05:00Una mamá más con hijas singulares y una madre única.Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-40631768912650990832011-03-03T17:14:00.002-05:002011-03-03T17:26:18.281-05:00

Early in the 1900’s, a young couple left their native Puerto Rico in the hope of starting a new life in the United States. Their destination was New York. Having arrived during the Great Depression they found that times were hard in the United States. But being proud and industrious the two set off to work… hard. They did not have glamorous jobs, but they were employed. Slowly they built their

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-14051510056879444962010-12-13T15:24:00.002-05:002010-12-13T15:24:50.433-05:00

The year was 1986, and I remember being on a date with my husband when I saw the Tom Hanks remake of “The Money Pit”. It wasn’t the best movie. It was a typical 80’s movie complete with a yuppie couple and a handsome yet sketchy eastern bloc baddie played by Alexander Godunov. (Everyone wanted an Alexander Baryshnikov in their movie back in those days.) As I say, the movie was “OK”. I laughed at

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-75075955279128546272010-11-29T21:05:00.000-05:002010-11-29T21:05:55.043-05:00

Ugh. El Real Madrid. I can't say for sure, and I certainly am not a statistician, but it certainly SEEMS like every time the Real Madrid plays against Barcelona they lose. It's heart breaking. In fact I believe this might actually be my fault. And the reason I believe this is all my husband's fault. Some 20+ years ago, when the hubby and I were just dating, I bought him a Dolphins sweater for

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-84746032385989004822010-05-29T11:18:00.003-04:002010-05-29T11:24:17.774-04:00

I jotted down these thoughts as I waited to board my flight to Miami last week. Then I reconsidered and didn't post them. But as I reread them I realize how true they ring so I have decided to share them with you. Here goes... "It is not yet 9am and I am waiting at the airport to board my flight to Ft. Lauderdale. I enjoy flying out of this airport as there is never a line, the screening is

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-77630734244072641782010-05-20T16:47:00.000-04:002010-05-20T16:47:04.272-04:00

Tonight is the big event - the launching ceremony of the new Que Rica Vida.com! As I and my fellow Latina mommy and cooking bloggers get ready for the evening, the General Mills event team is putting finishing touches on what is sure to be a fantastic and tasty affair. At the recommendation of a fellow blogger, I took a peek at the event floor where the music was pumping, the napkins were being

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-63313588276253648772010-05-19T15:48:00.000-04:002010-05-19T15:48:19.208-04:00

I am in Miami with more than two dozen other Latina bloggers, and I am ready to experience Que Rica Vida. I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful folks of General Mills Que Rica Vida for inviting me to attend this event. My flight and arrival at Ft. Lauderdale airport was seemeless and capped only by the arrival at the Hyatt Regency Miami. The team assembled by General Mills was super

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-24419541321919511892010-05-17T08:00:00.079-04:002010-05-17T08:06:26.779-04:00

I've always traveled as part of my work responsibilities. In the early days (don't think I'm going to tell you how long ago) I traveled to Albany, NY. I was Director of Human Resources for one of the City of New York's mayoral agencies and had to attend labor meetings. Later, while working for a recycling company, I had to travel throughout New York, Connecticut and New Jersey to perform site

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-35391102204314130522010-05-16T19:22:00.003-04:002010-05-16T19:28:43.107-04:00

Two months ago my husband and I took our three girls to Spain for the first time. Madrid, Spain is the birthplace of my mother. It's the place where she lived until she married my father and moved to New York. And it is the place where I spent every summer of my life.  I was very curious to see what each of my daughters would take away from this trip - eager to see what character and taste "Spain

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-79317177029865056952010-05-15T09:56:00.002-04:002010-05-15T09:56:55.467-04:00

It finally looks and feels like Spring here in New York´s Hudson Valley. The sun is shining and there is a breeze coming off the river. My husband and I decided to take the girls for a little day trip up to Woodstock. I hope to take lots of photos there and share them with you. Have a wonderful day and see you later!

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-88797983439248461202010-05-12T12:11:00.001-04:002010-05-15T20:55:25.872-04:00

There is no higher form of praise from my mother than that one word. "Reluciente." It's a great word. It goes beyond "clean" or "shiny". It connotes an immaculate nature that radiates light. If my girls are well dressed in ironed clothing with spotless shoes "están relucientes". If the windows are free of splatter marks and pollen, "relucen". When the floors are so clean that light bounces off

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-23789714013636937182010-05-12T01:15:00.001-04:002010-05-12T01:15:57.623-04:00

"Eso de la limpieza lo llevamos en la sangre. Va de familia. Somos muy limpios." I can not tell you how many times I heard my mother (or her sisters or cousins) say this. Cleaning, it seemed, was an appropriate topic of conversation for any occasion. Was it someone´s birthday? That was the perfect chance to chat about how to clean finger prints off a wall. Un velatorio? A wake provided a trip

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-52914026721031039182010-05-10T21:28:00.001-04:002010-05-10T21:29:39.774-04:00

Parece mentira pero es cierto. ¡Me voy a la develación del nuevo sitio de internet de Qué Rica Vida en Miami la semana que viene! I could not believe it when one day the wonderful folks at General Mills® contacted me and invited me to this event! Immediately I weighed my options: A) Free travel and lodging in Miami in addition to attend a fantastic and star studded event in the company of the

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-15129601707725693052010-05-07T00:30:00.000-04:002010-05-07T00:30:52.453-04:00

Today started out like any other day. I made the beds and sorted the laundry looking forward to what would certainly be the highlight - lunch with a friend. (OK, I also logged into Facebook and Twitter. I'm a mom but I do have my limits.) I had a great time at lunch, so  much so that I only checked my Blackberry once to see how much time I had left on the meter. It wasn't until I was walking out

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-38614405067870558182010-05-05T16:40:00.004-04:002010-05-05T20:41:26.986-04:00

They all think I'm crazy. Well, by "all" I mean my "normal", suburban-mom friends. "What do you do online all the time?" "You have a Facebook account? " "Twitter?! What's that good for?" At first I would try to explain. "We-ell, you see..." Nothing. Pearls before swine, as my old French teacher used to say. (Er, not that my friends are swine, mind you. They are perfectly wonderful if not lacking

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-41300412076077005612009-12-02T22:09:00.001-05:002009-12-02T22:09:44.749-05:00

Todobebé Baby Video Contest Just a reminder, Todobebé is running a video contest in which your child can appear on the Viva la Familia de Todobebé show on Univision. Upload your favorite .avi movie with your baby wearing Pamper´s diapers at the link above for a chance to win.

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-90022204802917456742009-12-01T21:11:00.117-05:002010-05-06T14:29:28.437-04:00

"Mas vale causar envidia que lástima." I've mentioned before that being bicultural was something which I never fully appreciated until I became an adult. When I was younger I was not like my friends and classmates, as I was raised rather conservatively, but I was "la americana" elsewhere. I thought I had learned to understand this, and yet from time to time I still find myself on the receiving

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-15080771980004071312009-11-30T11:59:00.003-05:002010-05-06T14:10:28.803-04:00

Hay un refran que dice "Cada uno en su casa, y Dios en la de todos." Esto se aplica bien a los dias de fiesta. My family in the US is small. It started out as just my father, my mother, my sister and I. (When grandpa was still alive, he and his second wife were here as well.) When I married my husband it grew a bit more. Upon having our three girls we grew a lot, and when my sister had her two

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-72826163140165717562009-11-27T13:57:00.001-05:002009-12-01T13:59:01.176-05:00

Comí demasiado ayer. No me funcionan los dedos. Hasta el lunes!

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-55069596039313506482009-11-26T13:52:00.001-05:002009-12-01T13:54:26.559-05:00

Because I love to see Latinas succeed in the US while maintaining their cultural identity and working to help others, I have come to really respect Jeannette Kaplun and the work that Todobebé performs. I found these words of hers online: "Como mamá, he grabado el piloto de nuestro primer programa de televisión en mi garaje y he terminado el último capítulo de nuestro libro de Todobebé para

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-28101679428490886212009-11-26T09:38:00.003-05:002009-12-01T13:41:42.002-05:00

It´s Thanksgiving Day. For my home it means Macy´s parade, abuelo Jose´s Puerto Rican-American stuffing and feta cheese. It´s wonderful to be a Latina in NY. Happy Thanksgiving!

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-37494105159256399452009-11-24T12:51:00.029-05:002009-12-01T13:34:41.424-05:00

One of my favorite websites belongs to Todobebé. In addition to having a first rate program on Univision, the website provides me with excellent information on motherhood as well as day to day tips on how to just do the best you can. What I like most, however, is that the folks there are genuine mothers and women who experience life as women who are also Latinas. As they celebrate their 10 year

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-42336479209941048412009-11-23T13:10:00.045-05:002009-12-01T13:35:23.968-05:00

Here in the US it seems that the holiday season is kicked off on Thanksgiving Day. At least it is for me. Thanksgiving Day was much pondered in my home growing up. It was one of the truly few "American" things we did. Just about every other aspect of our life was quintessencially Spanish. What we ate, how we dressed and how we "addressed" others was always part of some ritual or other, or at a

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6250917336080047039.post-59027565341829697152009-11-20T20:57:00.002-05:002009-12-01T13:35:52.944-05:00

I never fail to be impressed by assertive people. I´m not certain whether or not this is a character flaw. It seems to me that just because someone is assertive does not mean that they are necessarily worthy of my awe, so to speak. And yet, when someone enters a meeting or social function or any other public event and presents themselves with authority and ease, I get impressed. This always

Maria Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03497110826485293749noreply@blogger.com0