Biracial,Bilingual,is Beautiful. Amor is our history. 💕

Disclosure: Babushka wrote this for the Febrero/February 2020 edition of Conexion. 

A bilingual newspaper here in Florida's panhandle as well as Georgia and South Alabama.

Hola Hola Hola Beautifuls!

This post will be a BB Twofer. If you’ve been reading Babushka for awhile, you know that’s when you get dos topics in one post. A Two fer (for) uno. Last week the editor asked for submissions and BB asked what he’d like her post to be about. He never mandates, pero usually has some pretty good prompts y suggestions. For February he answered, “Valentine’s Day or Black HIstory Month”. Naturalmente, both very apropo and good temas, so pa’lante-pero, a la Babushka. Combining the two con corazon y cariño, a true story of love.

Miami, 15 years ago, Babushka’s eldest found her love. La CubanDominicanChinese Princess chose her Panamanian Prince and they proceeded to make a familia. 

Their first, a special child with an affinity to those smaller and younger than himself, especially babies. Then came la preciosa Princesa whose artistic attitude started a movement. The third is a little man who was already studying his surroundings on his first dia of vida. One could tell he had history, and would probably make history.

Familia is blood, the color red, the color of Valentine’s.

La Tata and her six greatgreatgrandchildren.

Si, they will make history, be a part of history. As we all are. Babushka chose to include this under Valentine’s/Black History month because of what she hopes is obvious. Through our examples, our passions, we influence our surroundings. So for those who first see the color, JU SO FONII!! May you see with your corazones the truth, that the outcome is a tale of love. Y al final Beautifuls,when all is said and done,  Amor is our history. 

Babushka Besos a Todos. Cuidensen.

PicturesOnGold.com 💗 Locket Giveaway-$140+ RV! via @Love_MrsMommy

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!

Babushka couldn't think of a better day than Valentine's to share the amor with a giveaway.

 This one is perfecto to literally have those you love next to your corazon.

BB not share something bello?

JU SO FONII!!

Sponsored By: PicturesOnGold.com

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

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Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Buena Suerte Beautifuls!

BB2U

Another Year Adios, Gearing Up for the Ultimate Adventure...

Disclosure: Babushka wrote this for the Enero/January 2020 edition of Conexion. Si, running Cubantime, pero if you read the last post about Resolutions/CubanChinese New Year, ya se dan cuenta that BB is right on time.  😉

wisdomquotes.com

Hola Hola Hola Beautifuls!

Another year over. Wow and Woah. The years keep getting faster and faster don’t they? Were there things you had meant to do, but couldn’t/didnt find the time? Now is the chance to reflect and resolve. Life is made up of many meaningful, lasting moments, and it’s up to us to facilitar them. And when she speaks of  life, BB must include the tema of death, a subject to approach with open eyes and open hearts. 

Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows. ~Michael Landon

Si, BB knows que estan saying, “Babushka that’s a heavy subject to start the year with.” Heavy pero inevitable Beautifuls. Y’all know the dicho, “The only thing certain in life are death and taxes.”  We deal with taxes every year, so this year let us deal with la muerte. Actualmente it’s not death so much we need to focus on, that we have no choice, pero how we can help others with our transition, that we can definitivamente have a say in.

For her parte, Babushka has chosen cremation. Many reasons led to this choice, years of thought and life lessons took BB there. Visions of a funeral and burial, a lonely grave, or loved ones bringing flores yearly on BB’s cumples out of a sense of obligacion wasn’t wanted, what is wanted is a sense of homecoming, to return to la tierra, a “oneness” with all. To facilitate this return, BB trusted the Neptune Society with their various options. Hasta their name is calming and what Babushka looked for. Burial at sea, biodegradeable urn, back to Mother Earth, ESO!!  That called to Babushka. Also knowing the burden and many decisions that have to be addressed in a person’s passing would be done and tended by profesionales, the detalles and cost already taken care of, that definitely called to BB. The title of Groovy Grandma would have tarnished if the last thing done for The Grands was making them run for monies during their mourning. 

So relieved and so impressed with the Neptune Society, Babushka signed up Sweetie and BIL tambien! No waiting for the inevitable to overcome us, we are ready and at peace with our passing. Como costumbre, BB is contrario to the norm, as it seems that most preneeds are purchased by Anglos in their mid to late 60s. De vera mi gente, let’s change that, porque we can and we should. So convinced of this is Babushka, that she is now a preneed advisor for the Neptune Society, and should you live in Florida or Georgia feel free to contact me for más informacion.

wisdomequotes.com

Of course each one of us has to make our own choices and share them with loved ones.

Por favor, do it now instead of luego. Because the years pass so quickly, and so too do we.

Feliz Año Nuevo a todos.

BB2U

Resolutions and Chinese New Year, BB's Cuban Way.

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls! This is an readaptation of a post BB wrote in 2012. Wow and Woah, eight years, a different Chinese Animal Year so that part's been updated, but all the rest is exactamente the same...because resolutions and Babushka's son asi.

Don't you just love the Chinese New Year?  The festivities, the history, the colors, the pagaentry, the chance to catch up and do a New Year right!  Que Que??  You actually thought January 1 was the real new year?  JU SO FONI !!!  Maybe it's because my mother was 3/4 Chinese, but in BB's mind this is when the reality of the New Year comes in.  Bueno, truth be known I think it's more because of my Cuban side... si, further in the year is better because we're always running late.  Whaaaaaatttt??  I'm only now taking down the Christmas lights... well, I will take them down now that the true New Year has come.

No me miren asi- don't look at me like that.  Really people, think about it.  For 8 days there's a whirlwind of activities- Christmas Eve to New Year's- most people don't come out of the stupor until at least a week  into the new year and then they go into shock when they see the scale and the bills of that holiday hip hop. By the second week of January most will have abandoned their resolutions and are slumping into disappointment from their lack of determination. But should this be? I say Nay!! Nada de eso mi gente!!!  Chinese New Year is the perfect time to make more realistic petitions of ourselves.  We've now seen what we're capable (or not capable) of doing and can go ahead with expectations we can fullfill!  Let me help you with some examples.


January 1 Resolution                                              Chinese New Year Resolution

No more junk food.                                               No more junk food on Mondays.

Exercise everyday.                                                        Exercise on Mondays. 

                                                          Go ahead, w/out junk food it's a bad day anyway.

Call loved ones more often.                            Ever heard of Feibu? How about Escaip?

Spend less money.                                         52 Mondays w/out junk food = saved $$.

Lose weight.                                                         Learn to walk in higher heels. 
                                                                     You'll either sweat from fear of falling
                                                                      or look thinner because you're taller.

Be nicer to my fellow man.                                               Hide on Mondays.

https://www.pinterest.com/momstownca/

Have a maravilloso New Year Beautifuls.

Wishing all a Feliz and Delicious Dance this Año!

Babushka Besos a todos. 

Fantasy is Fantastic! The Worlds of #Disney & #Tolkien

Babushka was sent the following libros to read and share. Opinions por supuesto are BB's and fma.

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!

Babushka is sure you’ve done your holiday shopping. Past are the Black Friday specials; Cyber Monday craziness ya se fue and you’ve gotten all the latest “in” toys and doodads. Te felicito. Ahora now es el tiempo to get the regalos that will last a lifetime, the ones they’ll want to revisit over the years, again and again. Cuentos y libros, books and stories, with characters and worlds of fantasy that will live forever in their minds and corazones. For this, you can’t beat the worlds of Disney and Tolkien, y aqui you have dos excelente examples.

“From Peter Pan to 101 Dalmatians, three-year-olds will be introduced to wonderful Disney adventures in Disney Stories for 3-Year-Olds (Studio Fun International; ISBN: 978-0794444358; Hardcover $12.99; 192 pages)! This treasury includes fourteen classic Disney stories retold and simplified for a younger audience. With the same spirit as the extended versions and paired with colorful illustrations, this book is perfect for parents introducing their children to classic Disney adventures. With fourteen stories to choose from, youngsters can treat themselves to a favorite Disney classic story anytime!”

Now that's the intro del publisher, pero what did BB's 3 year old nieto, Laughing Buddha think?

He couldn't get enough!! 

His favorito Disney characters in stories he enjoyed and could follow. Feliz.

Y ahora, algo a little more "adulto".  

“An Encyclopedia of Tolkien: The History of Mythology That Inspired Tolkien's World (Leather-bound Classics) by David Day (Canterbury Classics; ISBN: 978-1645170099; Leather Bound Hardcover $24.99; 544 pages) is a comprehensive, illustrated guide to the history, lands, and inhabitants of Middle-earth.

The fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth contains a rich assortment of people, cities, and creatures—as well as a deep, intertwined history that spans thousands of years. In this beautifully illustrated, leather-bound volume, best-selling author and Tolkien scholar David Day presents four decades of research and writing on the lands and inhabitants Middle-earth. Sections of this A-to-Z dictionary are devoted to discussion of the battles, history, beasts, and heroes of Tolkien’s stories, and are accompanied by black-and-white illustrations. This comprehensive volume on Tolkien’s world also includes an appendix of three primary legends that served as sources for Tolkien’s creations—the Volsunga saga, the Nibelungenlied, and Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle—and more than 200 black-and-white illustrations.”

Babushka wrote "adulto", pero en realidad, when My Little One (27 yr old daughter) saw this book she squealed with delight. Apparently her novio LOVES anything written by or about Tolkien and his mundos, and with each pagina she looked at, the louder the squeals. So, many a millenial will enjoy this as will lovers of this mundo. A very easy and endearing gift to be sure.

So there you have it Beautifuls.

Gifts that will thrill and have them thinking.

Dos libros to make them happy and reach their heart.

And NO BATERIAS NEEDED.

😉

BB2U

Winter is Coming Blogger Giveaway Hop! #BestGifts #HoHoHo

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!

No hay nada mas, nothing more that BB loves than sharing and giving to loved ones. 

 Quee?? JU SO FONII!! Even cafe and chocolate come second. (Pero si, it's real close) 

So here's another giveaway hop for y'all. With no further ado, start those entries going. 

These bloggers are giving away some really nice cositas, make sure to visit todas!

Aren't those Buenisimo? Now for Babushka's offering, a $10 Dunkin Donuts Giftcard. 

Tried and true y very tasty- the options, not the card.  

Entry-Form

Wishing you Buena Suerte and fun on the hop Beautifuls!

BB2U

$250 Cash Event #BestGifts #HoHoHo

HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!

It's the month of regalitos, so let Babushka start off by giving y'all a chance to win $250 in cash!! 

Not join in a chance for that?  JU SO FONII!!

Vamos and start the giveaway!

We're sleighin' it with another event for our elves!! We're Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and bringing you our 4th Annual December Cash Event! So don't be a secret Santa, jingle your way over and enter the giveaway event!

This event is HOSTED by The Kids Did It & The Mommy Island and sponsored by the awesome bloggers, authors, and Etsy shop owners!

Dash Your Way Over To The CoHosts!
Coupons and Freebies Mom, Deliciously Savvy, Mom To Grandma, Southern Mom Loves, This Mama's Life, Comfy Abode, Christy's Cozy Corners, LuvSavingMoney, Beautiful Touches, and Babushka's Baile.

ONE entrant will be selected by the entry form to win $250 PayPal cash OR a $250 gift card of choice, including Amazon! Open for entry WW, 18 years and older from 12/01/19 at 12:01 a.m. ET thru 12/21/19 at 11:59 p.m. ET. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. A winner will be chosen after/around December 22, 2019. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification email to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. See Rafflecopter for official rules. The Kids Did It & The Mommy Island are responsible for sending the winner their prize via PayPal or Amazon. The winner has the option of choosing between PayPal and an Amazon gift card.

Twitter dummy/fake accounts are ineligible for entry and will be blocked. Authentic accounts only are eligible to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Buena Suerte Beautifuls!

BB2U