Yesterday (Mother's Day) morning, I came downstairs and found this: I'm glad they opted for the sit-down-in-the-dining-room breakfast because I'm so not the breakfast-in-bed type. Happily, my children learned this about me many, many Mother's Days ago. Don't get me wrong, I love breakfast. It's The Most Important ...
Cuban
My Big, Fat, Dodger Blue Cuban Family
I have amazing news! I'm proud and privileged to announce that I was invited to be on the planning committee for Cuban Heritage Day at Dodger Stadium this year! (I know. Shut up.) Seriously, if I was going to add an item to my Bucket List, this would be it. Of course, I didn't know I would have added it until they actually asked me, but ...
Captain America: The Winter Soldier – a Review
I am pretty much the worst person to have with you in a movie theater when the film in question is an action/adventure type. It has to do with learning styles. Let me explain... Because I'm a visual learner and have a vivid imagination, I see things and feel them viscerally and then I react audibly. (Of course, you could chalk this up to the ...
A Century of Life
My mom, Luza, of Cuco and Yayo fame, will be celebrating her 100th birthday in a few weeks. 100. A century. If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that she gives me some of my best material. She's still pretty funny and with it. And I appreciate that you've all come to know and love her. We're going to be ...
The Best of MBFCF in 2013
I'm looking at my calendar and it's already the 8th day of 2014. I was planning on taking a few days off at the beginning of the year and wow, did they go by quickly! Come to think of it, 2013 feels like it went by pretty quickly also. Is it just me, or is this one of those things people tend to repeat a lot as they get old? Shut up. ...
The Cuban Hipster Thanksgiving
When I host family or friends for a big, elaborate dinner, my delight is in designing the tablescapes. My job, as I see it, is to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere, but not get too hung up on making things so department-store-perfect that it feels too cold and impersonal. It's fun for me to set a pretty table. It's much more fun to ...
Habana Brand Clothing – A Winner
First of all, I'd like to thank Habana Brand Clothing for being so supportive of My Big, Fat, Cuban Family in everything I do here. Secondly, I'm so grateful to all of you who faithfully read, and follow along with my blogging adventures and enter my fun giveaways. I'm grateful that you're the ones who have made this little ...
Habana Brand Clothing (MBFCF Giveaway #7)
There's still a whole lot of celebrating going on around here. I'm the kind of person who likes to celebrate birthdays for the entire month, so celebrating my 7 years in the blogosphere really does deserve a month-long celebration, but that's not important right now. Also, I've been busy lining up the very best the Cuban ...
Seven Years. (MBFCF Giveaway WEEK!)
You know that I'm all about celebrating. Big events. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Summer. Dinner. I believe in celebrating. Often. And well. Today marks my 7th anniversary here in this space. SEVEN. My big, fat, Cuban family is 7 years old today. And so I'm celebrating. *fires off the confetti canon* But first you have to sit ...
The Cubans: Our Footprints Across America (A Winner)
When I first read Fernando Hernandez's book, The Cubans; Our Footprints Across America, I was intrigued. I read through and was impacted by two things: The scope and reach of the Cuban community is not a small thing. Our stories are so familiar and yet absolutely unique. Thank you all who left such beautiful and poignant comments about your ...
Jesus and My Hair
I've been letting my hair go back to its natural curl. That sounds like a really simple thing, right? It's not. I've been going to a specialty hair salon in Laguna Beach. The hair gal, Vickie (who happens to be Puerto Rican, which makes us practically related) runs a cute little shop called Curls on Top. She specializes in curly ...
This is Wassup…
Last summer, I came across a Kickstarter Campaign for a not-yet-produced TV show called "Wassup en LA?" The theme was that a young Cuban American actor from Miami goes to Los Angeles to find fame and fortune. And his Cuban family, abuelos and all, follow and support him. I clicked on the link, read the synopsis and and fell in love. You ...
Life Without Pretending
When I started writing over-sharing on this blog six years ago, I had made the decision that I didn't want to ever complain. (I follow that rule in my real life, too, but that's not important right now.) I seriously have so much to be grateful for, and I swear I do lead a charmed life. But like everyone else, I go through a rough patch ...
#LookAtMyFood
Are you one of those people that buys a cookbook based on the ability to see the finished dish in color? I totally am. I guess it's because my learning style is primarily visual. When something is being described to me, I "see" it in my mind's eye. This is also why I can't watch R-rated movies where things are too graphic, ...
It Won’t Be A Surprise Party…
I had my mom, Luza, with me over the weekend. Our major activity was making plans for her upcoming birthday next month. We will be celebrating her 99 years on earth. Me: "What would you like to do for your birthday?" Luza: "I would like a party." Me: "Of course." She stops for a moment, thinking. "Can I have ...