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The Summer Reading Challenge
My 12-year old son loves any type of challenge, whether it’s the mannequin challenge, or the ice bucket challenge, or the try not to laugh challenge, he simply loves to do them. When it comes to challenges, he has a fire in his belly to be the best at whatever it is he is doing. So this summer I decided to conduct a reading challenge with him. The idea is for both of us to read the same book(s) and see who finishes it first. This friendly reading challenge is exactly the motivation my reluctant reader needs to pick up a book during his summer break. Plus, it’s a surefire…
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Do you Dolce Far Niente?
If not, you are missing out on one of life’s greatest pleasures. You see, dolce far niente is the Italian art of doing NOTHING. Yes, absolutely nothing and gloriously savoring every sweet, idle second of it. I know…hard to do in a culture like ours that places so much value on being busy all the time and on top of that, a culture that suffers greatly from a lack of leisure pleasure. Being busy is a badge of honor, and something that I was always proud to claim. However, now in my rocking 40’s, I’ve come to understand that constant busyness is detrimental to my well-being and those around me.…
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DOES SPEAKING ANOTHER LANGUAGE CHANGE YOUR PERSONALITY?
They say that people’s personalities change drastically over time. According to the longest-ever human character study done at the University of Edinburgh, “a 77-year old does not have the same basic personality traits they had at 14.” As you age, you slowly become a completely different person. Interesting, but I think that if they observed bilingual folks, they might see that personalities can actually shift in an instant. I feel like a different person when I speak in Spanish than when I speak in English. True story. Being a child raised in both Latin America and the U.S., both Spanish and English have always been a central part of my…
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4 Reasons You’re Failing to Reach Your Dreams
As a young girl I had big dreams and many things that I was passionate about. I loved gymnastics and wanted to be just like Nadia Comaneci. I loved to dance and wanted to become a professional dancer. At some point in my life, I also remember wanting to be an astronaut, an inventor, and an author of horror books (don’t ask me why). Do you remember all the big dreams you had before the wear and tear of each day bogged you down? If you were like me, you probably put them aside or have long forgotten about them in order to hold down a career and raise a…
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Motherhood: The Struggle is Real…or Not
My mom made my life easy and I am very blessed to have the mom that I have. She took great care of me and I never lacked for anything. My two sisters feel the same way, and I am sure I speak for them when I say that our mom is everything to us. From an early age, through my drama teen years, my missing in action 20s, my 30s as a career woman and new mom, up until now in my rocking 40s, she has continuously and constantly offered me love, patience, support, and respect for everything that I am and everything that I do. My sisters and…
