Warm summer nights are a fantastic time to look up to the heavens with your kids!! And this summer there are a couple of things particularly I want to mention. The first is the close proximity of Venus, Mars, and Saturn in the western sky this summer. Check this out soon. What's especially nice for me is seeing them gives me a real sense of the planets in motion when I check over a couple of successive nights. Each night the planets have been changing in relationship to each other, but against a recognizable background of stars that don't. Seeing it gives me a visceral sense that our neighbors in the Solar System are really out there, present, in a way that books just don't. Be ready for all sorts of fantastic questions from your kids!! Here's a link on how to find them and for more information. http://www.space.com/spacewatch/planet-triple-play-venus-mars-saturn-100602.html

Kids are out of school, Summer is here, do you like movies? Would you pay $1 for a movie? How about watching one for free? Well, there are some big theater chains offering exactly that to families, so grab a pen and put it on your calendars:

It’s June 2010, and the excitement in our family is starting to build. We are all getting ready for the big game, Mexico-South Africa this coming Friday. We can’t wait.

A few days ago when I was picking up my son from school and talking to his teacher, she addressed me as Mrs. Martinez, so I asked her to call me Silvia. She responded to me, "I would like to do that, however I can't because I don't want the kids to start calling you Silvia if they hear me." This small conversation reminded me about a situation I struggle with every day. I was raised in Mexico and was taught that using the first name to refer to an adult is impolite, es una falta de respeto, so I used Sra., Sr, Tia, Tio, etc, before their names.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day in Mexico. It’s always May 10^th. It’s a big deal! I mean big. When living in the city of Guanajuato, México, on Día de las Madres, I heard people of all ages serenading their moms from early in the morning into the evening. Guanajuato lends itself to this. Sound travels well there. Steep hillsides mean most all homes have a window to sing up to.They sing, Las Mañanitas, play the guitar or even have mariachis help them out. Let’s be serious, being a mom in México is tough business. But on this one day each year, Mom is IT!