Cubantime Calendar Countdown 2021 Part I

 

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!

No se about y’all but for BB 2020 was a Blurb y 2021 a Buzz, como un bee, flying by y Babushka trying to be stingfree. So far, so good. Pero she must admit, the blogging has taken a bit of a back seat. Between acting, daily mini posts (IGrammy, Feibu y Tweety) and living, the New Year goal of monthly resumens (never resolutions- BB knows herself too well pa’ eso) Babushka's running on Cubantime. Seeing we’re halfway through the año, parece a good time to start playing Cuban Catchup. So ponte los cinturones Beautifuls, aqui vamos!

January-Enero

Started 2021 en Casa BB with Sweetie. A traditional mixed cultural cena of many items including lechon, sauerkraut, black eyed peas, shrimp, sidra and of course the 12 grapes to pop into our bocas at midnight , one for each bong of the clock, while jumping to each bong. Quee?? Cubanos do one thing at a time?  JU SO FONII!!

January 2

The next dia we started a new tradition, visiting St.Augustine with son MAC and his Minions. Of course a trip to San Agustin wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Busy Bee. Once all the senses were satisfied, off to meet la familia!

 So San Agustin will see BB and her Bunch again in 2022. 

ESO! 👍

Ok, not gonna go dia por dia, porque then it'll be Crisma by the time Babushka posts. 

Sooooo.... video con todo!!

Then Febrero- the month of Love.

And BB knows no greater love than love of Grands-

Except the love of donuts.

He had never gone inside the Dunkin.

Grandchild #5

Trip to the INSIDE of a Dunkin Donuts with BB.

Oh my. The variety... His eyes glazed over- just like the donuts!!

Took him over 5 minutes, 

but he picked two, and this was the verdict.

And now the month's video highlights-

March

Wow and Woah.

 Oh Google, JU SO FONII!!

Ya really shouldn't count the places/times BB and Sweetie had to stop for pp breaks...

And there Beautifuls are the first 3 months of BB's 2021.

Truth be told, seemed to take longer to write the post about them than to live them...

Babushka Besos a todos. Cuidensen.

#LATISM 16- Latinos as Change Agents

This post was originally written for Conexion, the Premiere bilingual newspaper in N. Florida.

BB added a little algo to appease the Google Gods.

http://conference.latism.org/home

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!

For the second year in a row, Babushka was honored to be named “a top Latino digital influencer” and is headed to the LATISM16 conference in Orlando this October. LATISM stands for” Latinos in Tech Innovation & Social Media and is a non-profit organization dedicated to the empowerment of the Latino community in the areas de educacion, health, technology y business through the use of Tech innovation and Social Media.” Their goal is to “share best practices,  reach Latino(a)s in the digital space, and  build the pipeline of  tech innovators.  Together we are igniting Latino(a)s to drive the innovation economy." And they are Beautifuls, they are!

The impact of Latinos, especially when banded together and highlighted is a bella and powerful thing.  Thanks to LATISM and other like minded organizations, Latinos are getting heard and paid attention to, but we need more of us to bring new ideas and insights, more potencia and potential, more volume to our voices. This is a particularly crucial time; this is the year politics is priming to either elevate or eradicate the Latino existence in our nation.  Join us in our rally for acknowledgement and advancement.

October  19-21 LATISM will be having their conference at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.  Un lugar perfecto to celebrate our accomplishments and unite on our futures, especially since it’s in our state!  If you’ve wanted to visit Disney World and at the same time make a change in this world, now’s the time for that twofer. If you’ve ever wanted to voice your opinions, learn what that voice could do, and/or learn about topics you could help with, this is the conference to attend. Social Good is a very important part of this mission, and as our numbers grow in the US, we have more potencial in helping ourselves and others.  Babushka would love to see all of you be part of this movement and partake in the conference, por eso te doy el codigo  INFLUENCER16 to get a 30% discount.

Can BB get an ESO!!! http://conference.latism.org/home

Look forward to being a voice for Latinos and hoping you’ll join in the chorus.

And to those who want to silence us?

 JU SO FONII!!  

Nos vemos Octubre 19 en Disney.

BB2U

A Fiesta fit for a Princess- @SeaWorld Splash Party #hosted

A storytime outing hosted by Seaworld, pero the opinions and the joy belong to BB y La Princesa.

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!

This was the summer of La Princesa.  For those of you that don’t know, La Princesa is my granddaughter,our Hawaiian Princess, the only female in The Grands, party of 6.  Ya tu sabes how she receives the royal treatment, especially since they live with her other grandma, and a diagnosis of Autism just clinched the spoiling.  Pero look at her, how could you not want to spoil her?

She had informed her parents that this was her summer to stay with Babushka.  She’s all big and grownup at 7 and decided this was the year to visit  and have adventures like her big brother had. So we all did what we could to make it happen.

Unfortunately she and BB got sick during the first few days of her visit.  But we managed to bond and have fun anyway at home.

Honestly, as long as she had a cell phone or tablet to watch her programs she’s no problem. Mealtimes though are challenging.  La Princesa likes what she likes, and since this was vacaciones, Babushka was not about to force the issue.  

Lots of juices,cereals,cheeseburgers, Pretzels y PB&J, spaghetti and pizza.  Bueno, not all pizza.
BB tried to make homemade english muffin pizzas for her, like the ones her mama used to enjoy.
NanaNina.  She wanted the REAL pizza.

Babushka meanwhile, wanted a REAL vacation, to take her someplace, so we were very grateful when the good people of Seaworld invited us to their Splash Party. The invite was for 1245 so we left the casa at 730 am, not an enjoyable mission for our late sleeping princess.  She neither wanted to wake, nor did she want to leave our home. Kind of  a compliment verdad?  Anyway, once it was explained we were going on a trip to Seaworld like her brother El Dr. and that she could sleep all the way there, peace reigned in the kingdom.

"I think I'm in ♡!" La Princesa 1stx trying @Smuckersbrand #Goober #grapejelly #peanutbutter

A photo posted by Bohemian Babushka (@bbabushka) on Jul 29, 2016 at 8:22am PDT

La Princesa and her Royal party arrived a decently Cubanlate 15 mins and guess who parked right alongside us?  Our segundo familia, Bloggin’ Mamas Pres. and her crew.  NOW we knew we were gonna have fun! Equipping us with icecream and water, we were escorted to the Splash Party!!!

Unfortunately Sweetie was beginning to get the cold BB and La Princesa had couldn’t join us under the water works, so he was our photographer.  Ended up he got soaked anyway. A Florida thunderstorm cut short our visit and we didn’t get to visit the rest of the park, so we will go back again with La Princesa. BB owes her that “trip like Big Brother”.  Also owed her a “Real Pizza”.

Of course one never “owes” things like trips and pizza, but a Grandma, especially this abuela not try to get everything for The Grands they want?

JU SO FONII!!!

Next post, Royalty gets to  #VisitWestVolusia  

And her proclamations are priceless.

BB2U

A Working Vacation w/ #NicheParent14 #BlogginMamas & YOU. #Blogger #Conference #Giveaway

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!

Babushka's so excited to be going w/ El Dr to this conference! Quee?? Taking a child to a conference? Sola??  Ok si, not usually done, but then again this isn't the usual kind of group or conference. That's why Bloggin' Mamas is happy and honored to collaborate with Niche Parent Network for their 2014 conference taking place in the happiest place on earth- Walt Disney World Florida! 

A Glimpse of what's in store during the conference:

#NicheParent14 Agenda- Where Content Matters

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/niche-parent-conference-2014-registration-11240511673?ref=ebtnebregn

Please note, the agenda will be updated with additional events as we work with our sponsors. As speakers are finalized and events are confirmed we will make announcements to update everyone. Child care will be provided during conference sessions.

Thursday, October 16th
3:00 PM	Hotel check-in begins & Conference Registration/Badge Pick-Up
4:00-5:30	Pre-Conference Mastermind Think Tanks (Small Groups)
6:30-8:30 pm	Kick-Off Opening Event- Family Friendly
Friday, October 17th
8:30 am-9:00am	Breakfast Buffet (Registered Bloggers/Influencers/Media Only)
8:30-am 12:30 pm	Kid Zone is open for drop off (registered children up to 13 years old welcome)
9:00-9:10am	Welcome Address
9:10-9:55am	Opening keynote @KimGarst
9:55-10:00	BREAK
10:00-11:05 BREAKOUT SESSIONS	Organize Your Blog – Organize Your Life: How To Create More Content Than You Can Write @EllaRucker, @LorraineCLadish Link, Leverage and Build: Collaborating within your Network to Create a Signature Brand @ToyaNicoleMedia @MixedUpClothing @abeautyscarlet Motherhood w/ @JulieCole of Mabel’s Labels
11:10-11:45	Tribe Building Roundtables: Build Your Tribe One Person At A Time
11:50-12:30	Afternoon Keynote Address By Painting with A Twist Founders, Renee Maloney and Cathy Deano @pwatcorporate
12:30 pm 1:30 pm	Family Lunch Buffet Style
1:30 to 4:30	Sponsored Event by Chevrolet
1:30 to 4:30	Winter Wonderland Hands-On Expo
6:30 until 9:30	Friday evening event. Family Friendly
Saturday, October 18th
8:30-9:00am	Breakfast Buffet (Registered Bloggers/Influencers/Media Only)
8:30-am 12:30 pm	Kid Zone is open for drop off (registered children up to 13 years old welcome)
9:00- 9:45	Saturday Morning Keynote: Alberto Sardiñas
9:45-9:50	BREAK
9:50-10:55--Breakout Sessions	Metrics, and why they matter to your blog and brand. @STYLEMOM @danicaKimbol 30 Easy changes to make for GIANT growth! @iBlogMag The Secret Formula to YouTube/Vlogging @PiccoloMondoPR
11:00-12:30 – Hands-On Professional Development Workshops	Pitching, Booking, and Acing Your Media Interview at Local & National Level @DrDraiOBGYN , @PruneJuiceMedia @MommyTalkShow @thatJORIANgirl   Food Photography & Styling (Bring Your DSLR) The Hands-On SEO Workshop You’ve Always Wanted @MattWallaert@Momables
12:30 pm 2:00 pm	Family Lunch Buffet & Family Activity Sponsored by Painting With a Twist
2:15 to 3:45 - Hands-On Professional Development Workshops	Turning Pinterest into Your Blog’s #1 Growth Engine @EducatorsSpin
3:45 to 5:45 pm	Enjoy the resort, Explore Disney
6:00- until 8:30	Buses depart to Animal Kingdom for Safari Sunset Dinner

BUENISIMO!!!

And as if that couldn't get better- how about winning a pass to said conference??   

BB not share a chance to go to #NicheParent14 ??   JU SO FONII !!!

Go to Bloggin' Mamas and enter the giveaway.

NicheParent14 Giveaway

Nos vemos alli, See y'all there- with sunscreen on and ready to "work".

BB2U

P.S. The link for tickets is up above for those of you who don't want to leave the fun up to fate.

Babushka's Bus Brigade- @RedCoachUsa and @GreyhoundBus - The Comparison #Review

This is the Tweet that started it all. 

@RedCoachusa been a frequent traveler w/ @GreyhoundBus for yrs- u willing to have a BB comparison? #Miami #Tallahassee

— bohemian babushka (@BBabushka) June 23, 2014

They were willing to do the comparison, and sent El Dr. and BB to Tallahassee. 

 All pics, observations and opinions are Babushka and grandson.

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!!

This summer BB was blessed once again to have a mini vacation with my eldest grandson, El. Dr.  As y'all know, Babushka prefers the bus for Florida innerstate travel, and have been traveling this way for years. In BB's opinion nothing beats having someone else drive for you who knows the way and lets you just eat,sleep and be on the internet the whole trip.  Also, you can't beat the price- as far as gas goes, the tickets are waaayy less than what you'd pay if you were driving.  So, Babushka travel any other way? JU SO FONII!!! Now what didn't occur to me were the differences between bus services.  Wow and Woah.  An example? It's like the difference between a pedicure, and a spa pedicure. Like la diferencia entre Walmart and Target. Ahora si, BB sees you nodding.

The actual guagua/bus BB & El Dr. rode to Tallahassee



Now Y'all know Babushka loves the details- miren pa' esto, just take a look...

El Dr., remembering the last bus terminal we were in, couldn't hold back his joy.
The sitting lounge, the welcoming door, and the vending machine with acceptable prices.
Enjoying the seat with nearby plug while holding on to the snack packs.
Si My Beautifuls- they give their guests snack packs!!

You KNOW BB was open mouthed- in every meaning of that phrase.

Now Greyhound has a 50lb underbus allowance free to each passenger,
which I always thought was good.

What does RedCoach offer its passengers?

2- 50 lbs of luggage under the bus!!!

If you're a light packer, you might prefer the 1 carryon AND 1 purse Greyhound rule whereas RedCoach has the 1 carryon/1purse regulation.  For Babushka that's a hard one, since I must have my laptop, and my Popa bag w/snacks is almost a carryon all by itself. Since El Dr. was going that was ok this time.  Also ok this time was the amplitud, the spaciousness of the bus. 

Actually, it was more than ok!  Instead of the 51 passenger bus Babushka usually traveled on, the RedCoach accomodates 27.  And if you notice, one side has single seats and the other has two; that way those who travel alone can have their space and those traveling together can sit together without fear of separation.  BIG difference.  As a matter of fact, they even have assigned seats for the different types of fares. Si, they totally have different categories- First, Business, Economy. No se, but maybe because I was comparing, but BB didn't see a bad seat in the whole bus.  Es mas, note the shakiness of the picture, Babushka was in shock. Not only was the bus spacious, but the legroom...

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Another unbelievable thing?  When BB last year, first told El Dr. we were going by bus he asked if they had snacks and a movie.  Of course we all laughed, but "out of the mouth of babes", who's laughing now??  RedCoach has on board movies!  Here is a short video showing how we enjoyed our ride - first class luxury for Babushka and Grandson.

Ok si, Greyhound has more scheduled trips, but in the cities RedCoach has, they also have shuttles. Buenisimo right? Imaginate, the  business meetings, hotels, the marinas,the restaurants,the shopping! Here's the link for the Miami shuttle so you can take a looksie.

  http://www.redcoachusa.com/miami-hotels-and-cruises 

 And for those parents sending their children off to a Florida University, you can't beat the comodidad and greater sense of security on RedCoach.  But BB will write for my college parents- as well as those parents who want to take a hassle free ride to Orlando, on another post. Just let it be known, that for Florida bus travel- point for point, and if I had my druthers, it would be RedCoach all the way.It may be a little bit more, but like the aforementioned spa treatment, that extra pampering is definitely worth it.

 No wonder there was no hesitation from RedCoach when Babushka contacted them through Tweety.
  

They've really got no competition.

Happy Travels this summer My Beautifuls!!!

BB2U

May is Mayhem, but @NickHotel made it Maravilloso!!

Babushka was given a "media rate" to facilitate this post. All opinions and fun were BB's and her family's.

HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!

Mother's Day at the  +Nickelodeon Suites Resort aka @NickHotel. As I alluded to in the title, May for my son is Mayhem.  My son MAC has the following going on in May: On the 9th of May is his wife's birthday, The birthday of his youngest son, Rinquincaya, is on the 12th, and their anniversary is the 14th.  Needless to say he hasn't been able to travel to see me on Mother's Day (this year on the 10th) because finances don't permit.  The last time I saw him for Mother's Day was two years ago and that was too long ago for BB.  Babushka arranged the weekend of May 9 - 11 for a fullout family togetherness fest with him, DIL, the 3 grandsons and La Tata too!  Oh yeah this was gonna be an intergenerational lifetime memory- now whether we were gonna behave was yet to be seen.

Pizza Meets Black Beans & Rice

The boys had no idea we were going to meet up on the weekend, and they definitely didn't know we were going to be spending it together at NickHotel. To say they were pleasantly surprised is an understatement. 

The management had arranged gifts for each of my grandsons, giving them their favorite TMNT!  To say Babushka was more than pleasantly surprised is another understatement. It's those kind of details that makes one want to visit.  

Those and the accomodations too.

3 Bedroom Suite for 7+  

Please note the fully equipped kitchen, handicap access showers y mirrors,hang dry line in shower for wet clothes. 

Not fancy, but definitely functional y BUENISIMO!!

And our front door view?

Also BUENISIMO!!!

Y ahora, now for the reason Babushka chose Nickelodeon Suites:

And lest you think NickHotel is just for kids-

La Tata enjoying her Piña Colada

DIL & MAC enjoying their drinks and each other.

Y para Babushka??

Blogger's Paradise- laptop,ipad,cellphone & enough outlets for all
and of course a Starbuck's cafe- on the premises!!

And for those of you who are saying this is just another waterpark, 

obviously you haven't been here, because it has something no other park in the world has-

the wonderful Nickelodeon characters and Slime! 

and presently, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Looks like a full day verdad? 

You ain't just whislin' La Guantanamera My Beautifuls,

 but if you think that was all they did the first day-

JU SO FONII!!!

No way the DIL was gonna miss Family Karaoke!

10:30 pm as in noche, night.

and on the way back, they had to say hello to the 1st Bilingual Babe-

Last activity of the night- dress rehearsal for their TMNT Meet n' Greet.

Babushka Believes it's pretty unanimous.

The stay at NickHotel was all we had hoped it would be- y mas!!

Hoping y'all had just as Maravilloso a Mother's Day as we had.

And that next time you'll be joining us.

; )

BB2U

P.S. That was just the 1st day My Beautifuls, the rest of the unbelievable stay is on Feibu.

P.P.S.  April 18, 2016 Nick Hotels will become the

 NEW Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites – Waterpark.  

OJO-There may be affiliation codes in this post.