Snippets From our 'California Strawberry Festival 2016' Experience

Ever since I was a little girl living in Oxnard, I fantasized about the strawberry festival. I envisioned an all-around strawberry paradise of unimaginable proportions. 
We never went because it was literally held in our backyard (Oxnard is a smallish city) and we truly believed in the certainty behind the words: "there's always next year." But year after year we kept missing it. Until this weekend.

My sister Irene and I picking strawberries near our grandmother's house. Circa 1986.

The California Strawberry Festival 2016 was fun but extremely crowded. 
There were long lines for everything. 
The Früli line (strawberry beer) went around the corner. We waited about an hour for Benny to get a face painting. 
There were crowds everywhere, just trying to get their hands on an attractive order of a strawberry something. 
Meanwhile, protesters outside the festival boycotting the event handed out flyers reminding us that strawberry field workers are commonly mistreated on the job (didn't expect this)! I guess you can say the experience was different than the expectation. 
That's not to say we regret going. After all, we do feel a sense of pride knowing that so many people travel from all over the place to enjoy two days of strawberry madness in my very own hometown!

We made the best of our expedition to the festival and waited in line for the strawberry beer, which helped with the patience required to wait in line for Benny to get his face painting (a baseball on fire). We had several strawberry goodies and a ton of carnival food.

Benny rode the Berry-Go-Round and took a sweet picture with a cute girl dressed as Strawberry Shortcake and my sister bought a big box of organic strawberries to keep the theme going at home. My nose and arms look strawberry red because I got sunburned but the boys are fine and overall, it was nice to people-watch, share some laughs with husband and sister and enjoy an outing with my baby boy too, who got a diaper change on a changing table with a strawberry pattern cover!
Berry good memories indeed. 

Have a good week, everyone! 

Our Little Legoland California Getaway

My son Benny, who regularly asks if we can go to Disneyland, has now added Legoland to his theme park outing requests.
We took him to Legoland for the first time a couple weeks ago and decided to make a weekend out of it, booking a room at the park-adjacent Legoland Hotel.

My husband couldn't make it so my mom and sister Frances joined Benny and I. As you can see, my son is not cooperating for a photo! LOL

I had already visited the park twice before but had never stayed at the Legoland Hotel.
The park itself is EVERY Lego fan’s dream, with brick building opportunities throughout the premises and Lego-themed thrill rides, exhibits, games and shopping. There’s an area where kids can build their own Lego cars and engage in a car race competition with their fellow race car builders, which makes for tons of laughs! There is another area where kids can make their own Lego creation for a chance to have it displayed on the Lego Wall of Fame.
My sister Frances and I tried to create something fabulous but gave up when we saw a 7-year old boy finish a perfectly well-designed Mario Brothers head, while we still struggled to make sense of our robot-like vehicle things.

To the left, in a red plaid shirt is the boy who made an awesome Mario Brothers themed Lego creation, which was added to the Lego Wall of Fame!

We tried the famous Granny Smith Apple Fries (amazing, delicious, worth every bite) and we enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the Legoland Hotel (complimentary for hotel guests). Still, there were a few things that I couldn’t help but notice.
For one, the hotel front desk staff wasn’t able to answer basic theme park questions, like how much an adult ticket cost. Park employees refuse to take pictures of you and your family with any device other than their own assigned cameras. The grounds could use a little more maintenance, etc. What’s more is that Legoland is VERY expensive.  
A fully-themed hotel room averages $350 a night. Park admission is $89 per person and the park closes at 5:00pm on most nights, except in the summertime.

Benny on his way to our room at the Legoland Hotel

 Sure, there are shows and very cool things to see like the set of the Lego Movie and an elaborate display of some of the most popular cities in the U.S. (all made out of Legos) but this mommy is probably biased toward Disneyland and equally bitter that prices at the Mouse House have skyrocketed and other theme park alternatives are just as expensive without the extra “magical” details.

With that said, I am a parent and any place that makes my child happy, excited and enthusiastic makes me happy too.  I’ll just have to “build” my appreciation for this Carlsbad, Calfornia kids’ favorite, one Lego brick at a time (smiley face).


En español

Mi hijo Benny, quien pide regularmente que lo llevemos a Disneylandia, ahora ha añadido el parque Legoland a la lista de parques temáticos que quiere visitar.Lo llevamos a Legoland por primera vez hace un par de semanas y decidimos quedarnos allá, reservando una habitación en el Hotel Legoland, que está ubicado casi a la entrada del parque.Yo había visitado el parque dos veces antes, pero nunca me había alojado en el hotel del mismo nombre.El parque en sí es el sueño de todo fan de los ladrillitos Legos. Ofrece oportunidades de construir con ladrillitos a lo largo de las instalaciones. También tiene juegos mecánicos, exposiciones, atracciones divinas y tiendas originales con productos del famoso juguete. Hay una zona donde los niños pueden construir sus propios coches de Lego y participar en una carrera de autos con sus carritos de ladrillo, lo que resulta en muchas risas! Hay otra área donde los niños pueden hacer su propia creación de Lego para ver si logra ser colocada en el Muro de la Fama.Mi hermana Frances y yo intentamos crear algo fabuloso, pero desistimos cuando vimos un niño de 7 años de edad terminar una cabeza de Mario Brothers perfectamente bien diseñada, mientras que todavía luchábamos para dar sentido a nuestros vehículos tipo robóticos.Comimos las famosas varitas de manzanas fritas (increíbles, deliciosas, valen la pena) y nos gustó mucho el desayuno estilo buffet en el hotel Legoland (gratuito para los huéspedes del hotel). Sin embargo hubo algunos detalles que no pude ignorar.Por una parte, el personal de recepción del hotel no fue capaz de responder a preguntas básicas del parque, como el costo de una entrada de adulto. Los empleados del parque se niegan a tomar fotos de usted y su familia con cualquier cámara que no sea una de sus propias cámaras asignadas. Los jardines lucirían mejor con un poco de mantenimiento adicional y otras cositas más que no me parecieron ideales.Pero lo que más me impactó es que Legoland es muy caro. La habitación decorada como castillo cuesta $350 la noche. La entrada al parque es de $89 por persona y el parque cierra demasiado temprano, a las 5:00 pm, excepto en los meses de verano.

Claro, hay espectáculos y cosas muy interesantes para ver como el escenario de la película “The Lego Movie” y una zona elaborada de algunas ciudades populares de los EE.UU. (todas construidas con piezas de Lego) pero quizá esté un poco sesgada hacia Disneylandia y disgustada a la vez que los precios en la Casa del ratón Miguelito se dispararon sin clemencia. Y que otros parques alternativos ahora están igual de caros y sin tantos detallitos "mágicos".
Pero con todo y eso, soy madre y cualquier lugar que hace a mi hijo sentirse feliz, emocionado y entusiasta a mí también me hace feliz. Voy a tener que "construir" mi apreciación por este parque en la ciudad de Carlsbad, aunque sea un ladrillito a la vez (sonrisas).

Exploring LA With My Son and My Jeep!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CambioConfiable #CollectiveBias

 A couple years ago, I went looking for a new car. It was time to give up my Honda Civic because our little family of two was growing into a family of three.

I wanted something a little bigger and when I laid my eyes on a black Jeep Patriot, I fell in love.

My “Jeepsy” as I’ve affectionately named it, has been my source of freedom and exploration as a busy Latina working mommy in the great city of Los Angeles.  It’s such a liberating feeling to just pick up and go!

In true gyspy fashion, Jeepsy has an adventurous spirit and travels freely wherever I drive it!  It takes me to my office in Downtown Los Angeles on weekdays and when my husband goes away for the weekend for work, I use the Jeep to explore Los Angeles County with my son Benny.  Together my son and I have ventured into Chavez Ravine for a Dodgers game, Santa Anita Park to watch the horse races, and to numerous parks, museums and playgrounds all over Los Angeles County.

Note: All car selfies have been taken when the vehicle is completely stopped... just sayin'! Here Benny and I were on our way to Pomona!

Benny and I arrived at a Dodgers Game on a recent summer night!

I can only guess that this picture was taken before heading off to give the Jeep a car wash...Ha!

The cutest little happy face, excited about our outing.

At the Santa Anita Race Park with my Benny

Before arriving in the U.S. from Mexico, neither one of my grandmothers drove cars.  But in the late 70’s when my dad was courting my mom, he offered my maternal grandmother a quick driving lesson and Mama Gela ran with it! I remember seeing my mother and grandmother use their cars to drive across town and get things done!

Mama Gela would even give her small white Toyota Corolla oil changes!

I definitely  haven’t learned how to give my car an oil change but I make sure to take good care of it by letting a professional handle the routine maintenance checks. The other day, I took the Jeep to a nearby Walmart Auto Care Center for an oil change. I explained to Benny that the car needed some extra “food” to stay strong (hehe).

Benny and I on our way to a friend's party in Santa Monica!

Benny was pretty amused by the process which was actually a great experience. The Walmart Auto Care Center workers were efficient and took only 30 minutes to do the “Pit Crew Service Oil Change Special, ” which took care of Lube, Oil and Filter for only $19.88. The oil used was the Quaker State Advanced Durability Motor Oil.

Giving my car routine maintenance and oil changes is like taking a preventative measure so that I'm never in a situation that  jeopardizes my family's safety. Here, Benny looks at the Walmart Auto Center Worker as he drives Jeepsy in for a Quaker State Oil Change.

To date, Jeepsy hasn’t given me any problems, but I know that’s largely due to the fact that I take care of it. Trust me when I say that the Walmart Auto Care Center is a good, reliable and affordable starting point and you can’t go wrong with Quaker State Oil.

You can find Quaker State Oil in one of the car maintenance aisles at Walmart

We seriously drove out of the Auto Care Center with a sense of confidence and reliability and ready to venture out to yet another Los Angeles County adventure!

Consider trying Walmart for your car appointment, you’ll be happy that you did!

A little tired and a little excited here-- My Benny is a great passenger! 

En español

Hace un par de años, me fui en busca de un coche nuevo. Era el momento de dejar el Honda Civic porque nuestra pequeña familia de dos pronto se convertiría en un familia de tres.

Yo quería un coche más grande y cuando mi mirada se encontró con un Jeep Patriot negro estacionado en el concesionario, me enamoré.

Mi "Jeepsy" como lo nombrado cariñosamente (nombre que suena como la palabra ‘gitana’ en inglés), ha sido mi fuente de libertad y exploración como una madre Latina ocupada y que trabaja tiempo completo en esta gran ciudad de Los Ángeles. Es un sentimiento tan liberador de poder levantarme y salir en un dos por tres!

Mi "Jeepsy" tal como el gitano tiene un espíritu aventurero y viaja libremente por todas partes! Me lleva a mi oficina en el centro de Los Ángeles durante la semana y cuando mi marido se va de fin de semana para el trabajo, uso el Jeep para explorar el condado de Los Ángeles con mi hijo Benny. Junto con mi niño, hemos aventurado en el parque Chavez Ravine para disfrutar juegos de los Dodgers, viajado al parque de Santa Anita Park para ver las carreras de caballos, y visitado numerosos parques y museos por todo el condado de Los Ángeles.

Antes de llegar a los estados unidos de México, ni una de mis abuelas conducía. Pero a finales de los años 70 cuando mi papá estaba cortejando a mi mamá, le ofreció a mi abuela materna una lección de conducción rápida y Mamá Gela no desaprovechó la oportunidad y pronto aprendió! Recuerdo ver a mi madre y a mi abuela manejando cada una sus carros de un lado de la ciudad al otro para encargarse de muchos quehaceres!

Se ha sabido que Mamá Gela hasta intentaba darle a su pequeño Datsun blanco los cambios de aceite!
En lo personal, yo jamás he aprendido a darle a mi coche los cambios de aceite, pero siempre me aseguro de darle buen cuidado con mantenimientos frecuentes.

El otro día, llevé el Jeep a un Centro de Atención de Autos de Walmart, ya que le faltaba un cambio de aceite. Le expliqué a Benny que el coche necesitaba un poco de "comidita" especial para mantenerse fuerte (jiji).

Benny se divirtió con el proceso que en realidad fue una buena experiencia. Los trabajadores del Centro de Atención de Autos de Walmart fueron eficientes y les tomó sólo 30 minutos para hacer el Servicio "Pit Crew Oil Change Special", que costó sólo $19.88. El aceite que se usó fue el Quaker State Advanced Durability Oil.

Hasta la fecha, mi Jeepsy no me ha dado ningún problema, pero sé que eso se debe a que me he ocupado de cuidarlo mucho.

Créanme cuando les digo que el Centro de Atención de Autos de Walmart es un buen, confiable y asequible punto de partida y con el Quaker State Oil, les irá muy bien.

En serio que cuando salimos del Centro de Cuidado de Autos de Walmart nos sentimos con confianza y listos para nuevas aventuras en el Condado de Los Ángeles!

Consideren llevar sus coches a Walmart para un mantenimiento, de veras que no se arrepentirán.

Adventures in Mexico with a Toddler (part 2)

Mexico City is my mom’s birthplace.

I’ve been there many times throughout my childhood but this one was probably the busiest trip ever.

First of all, we traveled there from Guadalajara to be a part of my little niece’s First Communion.

But since my aunt’s house was going to be so busy with tons of guests arriving for the celebration we didn’t want to add additional stress and decided to rent a hotel and explore the city on our own.

The challenge of course-- traveling with Benny. He proved to be a good little trooper considering we hardly stuck to a napping/mealtime schedule.

But Mexico City is so big and crowded and scary at times that my biggest concern always was making sure Benny was protected while enjoying the sights and views of places he’d never seen before.

The only problem is, the vibes from certain places (like the Mercado Sonora) were so chilling that all I could think of was—let’s get back to the hotel (we witnessed a lady get robbed)!

The traffic is insane… it would take us an hour to get to places that should’ve been 20 minutes away (not too different from L.A., I know but the driving culture in Mexico City is a rollercoaster of its own).

This is not to dissuade anyone from going… Mexico City is a colorful world of adventure with different sounds, smells and events at every corner, definitely worth a visit. For us, it was extra memorable because we met a newfound cousin (Dani Luna) who was our host, tour guide and driver!

What I am saying is that I got a perfect dose of Mexico City, good enough to last me several years before I plan another visit. Here are a few pictures of our adventures in the city.

Thanks for reading!

Our hotel was located near "El Angel" a symbolic tower in Mexico City built in 1910 that stands with a gold angel on top representing the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence. 

Here we enjoyed a colorful water fountain display where Benny wanted to join the other kids and splash in the water. This was at the Revolution monument, near "El Angel", where dozens of demonstrators are camping out, protesting against the Mexican government.

We visited Mexico City's Basilica, dedicated to the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe. The basilica is situated in the same place believed to have been the site where the Virgin appeared on the cloak of a native indian named Juan Diego. Pictured above is the cloak, which has been preserved for hundreds of years. 

My sister Irene tries to explain to my inquisitive toddler the significance of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe.

Later we visited Mexico City's Anthropology Museum

And enjoyed a refreshing snack!

We also visited Coyoacan, where Frida Kahlo & Diego Rivera's home is located!

On our final weekend, we celebrated my niece's first communion. Here, a mischievous Benny stands outside the church wearing a "manta" outfit. Manta is a type of  cotton fabric made popular in Mexico! 

Here's my niece who asked me to be her godmother (so sweet!).

At the First Communion celebration, the party went on till the wee hours of the night. At one point, they brought out the "toritos" or bulls, used for a special dance!

En español

La Ciudad de México es la ciudad natal de mi mamá.

He visitado el Distrito Federal muchas veces pero éste viaje fue quizá el más cansado de todos.

En primer lugar, llegamos en autobús desde Guadalajara para acompañar a mi pequeña sobrina en su Primera Comunión (yo fui la madrina).

Pero como la casa de mi tía iba a estar llena de huéspedes que llegaron de todas partes para la celebración, decidimos alquilar un hotel y explorar la ciudad por cuenta propia.

El reto por supuesto, fue de andar tras de Benny a todas horas. Mi niño demostró ser un buen pasajero, considerando que jamás logré tenerlo apegado a un horario de siesta o comida.

En fin, la ciudad de México es tan grande y llena de gente y personalidades que mi mayor preocupación fue siempre de asegurar que Benny estuviera protegido mientras disfrutaba de lugares que nunca había visto antes.

El único problema es que la vibra de ciertos lugares (como el Mercado Sonora) era tan pesada que lo único que venía a la mente era el deseo de regresar al hotel inmediatamente (fuimos testigos de un asalto a una mujer que iba al mercado)!

El tráfico es una locura ... tardábamos una hora para llegar a lugares que quedaban a 20 minutos de distancia (no muy diferente a Los Ángeles, lo sé, pero la cultura de conducción en la ciudad de México es una experiencia como de montaña rusa).

Esto no es para disuadir a nadie de visitar el D.F. La Ciudad de México es un colorido mundo de aventuras con diferentes sonidos, olores y eventos en cada esquina, que definitivamente ameritan una visita. Para nosotros el viaje quedará entre los mejores recuerdos, especialmente porque nuestra nueva prima Dani fue una excelente anfitriona, guía turística y conductora!!

Lo que sí estoy pensando es que por lo pronto, este viaje fue una dosis perfecta como para durarme varios años antes de planear otra visita la Ciudad de México. Aquí les comparto algunas fotos de nuestras aventuras en la ciudad.

¡Gracias por leer!