Episode 412: Building a Village for New Moms, a Cafecito with Marias Gamesa

This May, we’re so excited to team up with Marias Gamesa in this amazing effort to help moms engage in real conversations about motherhood and cultivate a community.

Growing up, Marias Gamesa was a staple in our house, and Bricia even uses it for her famous mole recipe. This year, they have launched the Cafecito con Marias Gamesa campaign. You know we love our cafecito, and we love to chat - that’s exactly what the Super Mamás podcast is all about. It’s even better when it’s a space for conversations with other Latina moms - brought together to speak on these important topics by Marias Gamesa. Over the next two episodes, we’re having a cafecito takeover and welcoming some very exciting guests from the Marias Gamesa Squad - a group of four Latina moms and content creators who will share their realities of motherhood with us - especially when it comes to building a village of support with family, friends, and other moms like us. This is one of the few topics we’ll dive into during this Marias Gamesa takeover that stem from their recent survey on modern-day motherhood.

This week’s guests, part of the Marias Gamesa Squad, are Gabby Carlin, a mommy of three and content creator, and Rossini Perez, a mother of three, lunch-obsessed content creator and cookbook author - we are going to dish into some of the key areas where modern-day mamás need support, community and conversation, and encourage our listeners to join in on the conversation and do the same.

Our Conversation with Gabby & Rossini

Motherhood feels lonely sometimes:

Finding your people, your tribe either in person or social Media is important when becoming a mom. You were not meant to do this by yourself.

How did you find your village?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help: Motherhood is a journey and we all need a helping hand.

Lean on the wisdom of your own Madre and Abuela

In a recent survey by Marias Gamesa, despite 64% of Latina moms sharing they have a support systems, 1 in 5 stated that they face tough parenting moments alone.

What are the biggest lessons that you have taken from your own mother?

Patience is Key, try your best to enjoy the moment, time goes by way too fast

Structure and routine are helpful tools. Gaby and Rossini give us a play by play of their day.

Don’t compare yourself to others, specially social media. Motherhood is messy for everyone, you are doing great !

Marias Gamesa recent survey also found that 62% of moms report feeling relieved after connecting with their own mothers after challenging parenting moments

What are some of you favorite memories with you mom, and how do you want to relive those with your own children ?

Gabby and Rossini share their favorite memories and how they are trying to create new memories through traveling and shopping days!

We share some our favorite remedios learned from our own mamas

Despite almost 90% of Latina mothers indicating that they feel at ease with reaching out to their own mom or mom-like figure for parenting support, Marias Gamesa survey indicated that a shocking 70% of Latina mothers feel too overwhelmed or feel like they don’t have enough time to even call their mothers

links:

For more information visit Marias Gamesa

Listen and Share this and all other episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcast and All other Podcast Platforms.

Episode 410: Tips for Traveling with Kids this Summer with Lola Dweck

About Lola

Lola is a Mexican-American recipe developer, writer, and cooking instructor who loves sharing her culture with the world. Growing up in California and spending summers in Mexico, Lola celebrates her family’s Mexican recipes and vibrant culture through Lola’s Cocina.

The inspiration for Lola’s Cocina came about over ten years ago when she realized that treasured family recipes, some dating back many generations, must not only be experienced through our taste buds, but also preserved in writing. This is when she began to jot down recipes that she learned from family and friends, as well as some that she created herself, or stumbled upon serendipitously. Her dream is to continue to share recipes through many generations

Our Conversation with lola

Some tips on the continuous journey of keeping our kids bilingual

Tips on traveling by yourself with kids

Top Packing Tips

To plan or not to plan, how to create organic immersive experience with your kids while traveling

Finding a Traveling Buddy in your mom group.

links:

Learn more about Lola’s travels and recipes on Lola’s Cocina

Listen and Share this and all other episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcast and All other Podcast Platforms.

Episode 406: Spring Cleaning with Ria Safford - A Throwback Episode

Spring is here and that means we are getting the urge to organize, but where do we start? For some of us It all seems so overwhelming and never ending when it comes organization . Is that you? Don’t worry, this week we are bringing back one of our favorite episodes of all time on all things organization with the Fabulous Ria Safford a Professional organization expert who shares tips, tricks and tools to accomplish your organization goals so listen up and take notes! This is definitely an episode worth bringing back.

Who else feels renewed after an after a deep clean, when you look at your new space and breathe in the cleanliness?

About ria

Ria is a mother of 3 and a PROFESSIONAL organization expert who has worked with A list celebrities like Paris Hilton, Crisy Teigen and others. and the force behind RiOrganize a hub of lifestyle experts who bring you solutions for every aspect of you and your family's lives. 

Ria has always had a knack for creativity, but it wasn't until becoming a mom of 3 that she began to appreciate the stress relief organization can offer. As someone who is messy by nature, Ría loves sharing her tools with others. As she says, “You don’t have to be born with it—organization can be learned, practiced and perfected.”

Since our last conversation Ria has recently published her book “ The Organized Home for New Parents” a resource for new parents who feel nervous and overwhelmed about how to safely set up a home for a new baby.

Our Conversation with ria

❖ The Basics for Ria´s organization list

❖ Finding what works for you.

❖ Assessing your needs

❖ What to keep and how to sort it

❖ Understanding your space

❖ The organizing mind set.

❖ Our best tips for organizing and how we do it

links:

Learn more about all things organization on RiOrganize

Get Ria’s Book “The Organized Home for New Parents “

Listen and Share this and all other episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcast and All other Podcast Platforms.

Episode 318: Parenting from Abundance with Lilliana Vazquez

Our guest this week, Lilliana Vazquez, has held many titles - style expert, former television host on E!, and most recently, mama to her almost one year old son, Santiago. Like most episodes, our conversation is all about parenting but this one is a little different. We’re not only talking about Lilliana’s road to becoming a parent, including IVF treatment and her birth story, but also what is means to parent in abundance. She believes that making sure her own cup is full before anything else helps her be the best parent she can be. We also talk about the difficult feelings surrounding motherhood, advocating for your health (always!) and how good it feels to finally be heard. 

More about Lilliana: Lilliana is known as one of the fashion blogging OGs, and has carried many titles - from blogger to style expert, TV commentator to television host on E!. The enterprising star has curated a career that began from her small blog (CheapChicas.com), which she launched in 2008, to being seen by millions daily on numerous platforms including NBC TODAY, "Extra" to "The Talk," "Rachael Ray," "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Steve Harvey."  Today, she’s at PEOPLE (The TV Show) as a Special Contributor covering all things entertainment, red carpets, runways, and celebrity pop culture news.

Born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, to a Puerto Rican father and Mexican mother, Lilliana is a first-generation Latinx who radiates gratitude for the dedication and sacrifices that her family made for her. Among the first in her family to attend college, she graduated from George Washington University, where she earned a double-major in international business and entrepreneurship. Lilliana has always used her platform to advocate for her community, and fight for Latinx representation in media and entertainment, as well as raise awareness on social issues.

In April of 2021, Lilliana announced she was pregnant with her first child, after battling with six years of infertility and IVF. After living this experience, Lilliana wishes to use her voice and platform to break the taboo around infertility and how it affects the Latinx community. In July 2021, Lilliana announced the birth of her healthy baby boy, Santiago “Santi” Merrick McGrath. Lilliana hopes to continue sharing about her journey to motherhood, the lessons, the challenges and hope with other mothers and those who hope to experience motherhood one day.

Vocabulary from this week’s episode

IVF: In vitro fertilization (IVF) helps with fertilization, embryo development, and implantation, so you can get pregnant.

IUI treatment: Intrauterine insemination (IUI) is a simple procedure that puts sperm directly inside your uterus, which helps healthy sperm get closer to your egg.

AMH test: AMH, or anti-mullerian hormone is a substance produced by granulosa cells in ovarian follicles. Research shows that the size of the pool of growing follicles is heavily influenced by the size of the pool of remaining primordial follicles (microscopic follicles in “deep sleep”). Therefore, AMH blood levels are thought to reflect the size of the remaining egg supply – or “ovarian reserve”.

Gentle cesarean: A gentle C-section is a cesarean section which is elective and can occur under controlled situations.

Lilliana’s experience: “You can apply the same principles as a natural birth - skin to skin, cord clamping, vernix, and weight & height measurement can be delayed as long as the baby is okay. You can ask for a clear curtain instead of blue so you can watch the birth. You can also ask the doctor to take their time and be gentle; these are all things to discuss with your doctor if you are planning a gentle cesarean.”

Pick or Tip of the Week

Bricia’s pick this week is food! She has everything you can think of in her pantry - oils, salsas, etc. - she just wants to try one of everything. She recently tried David Chang’s products like the chili crunch, but her pick is the noodles. These are restaurant quality noodles come in clutch when you don’t have anything to eat.

Sun protection is Paulina’s tip this week. Coola Organic Radical Recovery After Sun Lotion has really helped her daughter’s recover from summer camp since they’re spending all day in the sun. They lather up before bed and it helps them so much in the morning.

Links

Follow Lilliana on Instagram @lillianavazquez

Episode 293: Venting with the Super Mamas- My kid got into a fight at school, Am I a bad mom?

This week we have a venting Session with the Super Mamás, Paulina got a phone call from school saying one of her daughters got into a fight at school and immediately the Mom Guilt kicked in, Is it my fault? Am I doing something wrong? Am I a bad mom? When our kids do something considered bad, we immediately start blaming ourselves as parents, but is it really our fault? How can we divide our time and attention to all of our kids needs when haven multiple kids, and trying to balance work and life at the same time? Is there really a right answer to this? What do you think?

Episode 282: Reminiscing about the 4th Trimester aka New Mom Life with Grace Bastidas, Editor in Chief of Parents Latina

Another super mamas alumni is back for interview! This week we interview Grace Bastidas, Editor in chief of Parents Latina and Ser Padres. She tells us about her latest project as host of the podcast That New Mom Life, where she speaks with postpartum experts and real parents about the ups & downs of parenting (which we know all about 😉). Life as a new parent or with a newborn can be hard and isolating, and she reminds us as parents, we need to give ourselves grace and be nice to ourselves because we’re all just doing the best we can. 

More about Grace: Grace Bastidas (@brooklynwriter) is the founding editor in chief of Parents Latina, a bilingual magazine launched in 2015 that serves up culturally relevant content for today’s modern Latina mom. In January 2016, she was tapped to also oversee @serpadres, a cross-platform Spanish-language brand that has empowered and inspired parents for the past 26 years. A well-versed speaker and writer, Grace has contributed to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Travel + Leisure, among other media outlets. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two young daughters, and serves on the Friends Board of the Good+ Foundation, which provides low-income parents with the necessary tools to maintain the health and safety of their children.

That New Mom Life Podcast

That New Mom Life, a new podcast from Parents Magazine, is here to hold your hand through those first bleary-eyed, isolating months of parenthood, when you’re not even sure what day it is. Each week, co-hosts Grace Bastidas, Editor-in-Chief of Parents Latina, and Desiree Fortin, mom of triplets and a newborn, share the mic with leading experts and fellow parents as they talk sleep deprivation, body changes, making mom friends, and more. No topic is off-limits! For more information visit parents.com/newmompodcast.

Topics featured on the podcast:

The first 24 hours of parenthood

Lactation and formula feeding

The emotional ups and downs

Sleep deprivation

Mom friends

How to stay in the moment

Body changes

How to share the parenting load

Establishing routines

Preparing for what’s next

Listen to That New Mom Life podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere podcasts are available.

Pick or Tip of the Week

Paulina recently traveled to Hawaii with her family and knew she needed some new, little games to keep her kids entertained. She found these magnetic games from the Purple Cow store that are perfect for the car, in her purse or on the plane because everything stays together in the case.

Bricia has been loving two shows: 1. Halston, a limited series on Netflix about fashion designer, Roy Halston (this show is for grown-ups ONLY 😬) and 2. Mythic Quest on Apple TV+. Does anyone else watch this, or is it just Bricia? LOL

LINKS

Follow Grace on Instagram - @brooklynwriter

Follow @parentslatina on Instagram and check out their website for tips on helping you raise healthy, happy multicultural kids who are rooted in your family's heritage even as they shape America's future.

Follow @serpadres on Instagram and check out their site for tips for Hispanic parents raising happy, healthy children in the U.S..

Episode 238: Teaching Our Kids About Progress, Not Perfection with author Candice Lapin

What does it mean to be a parent during these crazy times? This week we have a pre-rona interview with author Candice Lapin. We discuss her new book, “Parenting in the Age of Perfection”, why you should teach your kids that learning new things takes time, not to be guided by comparison and she reminds us that finding our own learning rhythm as kids will turn into successful habits as adults. This episode is such a good reminder that even if you fail, you just get up, dust off and try again! Tune in and take notes!

Before the episode, we’re talking about how long it’s been since we’ve been indoors and how we need to start thinking of summer activities for the kids to do indoors. But let’s be honest, we know that Netflix and Disney + will be our babysitters these next few months and we are okay with that. 🤣 Even though things are opening up in California/LA County, we don’t feel we will venture out too much until our kids go back to school.

More about Candice Lapin: Candice is the author of Parenting in the Age of Perfection: A Modern Guide to Nurturing a Success Mindset and is the founder of The Ladder Method, a meta-learning and academic coaching company based in Los Angeles. Her goal is to give parents ammunition as they make decisions that align with the best interests for their children. She takes those troublesome behaviors that frustrate parents and breaks down how to change each one. By making micro-shifts in your child’s environment, behaviors and mindsets, parents can lead their tween/teens to success!

Pick or Tip of the Week

Paulina’s pick is for mosquito season and it’s the Sana Salve Balm by Happy Organics Co. We featured them in our swag bags during the posada last year and they were a part of our recent Zocial Online Marketplace. Paulina and her girls apply the salve to their bites and the itching is gone overnight! It’s great for scrapes and burns and it’s all natural.

Bricia’s picks this week are a few of her favorite pantry staples. She’s been eating so many roasted or pan fried veggies while she’s been at home, and this is what she uses:

• Bricia’s must haves - grape seed oil for roasting & panning frying, pepper, and kosher salt

• Garlic mill, which is great for getting big garlic flakes on your roasted veggies

• O olive oil and citrus champagne vinegar

• Aleppo pepper

Her typical breakfast is hard boiled eggs and broccoli with olive oil, balsamic, salt & pepper and aleppo pepper, and it’s really good.

LINKS

Parenting in the Age of Perfection: A Modern Guide to Nurturing a Success Mindset by Candice Lapin. Now available for purchase on theladdermethod.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Learn more about The Ladder Method learning techniques.

The Daily Podcast by the New York Times

Episode 236: Balancing Our Technology Intake During Our Time at Home with Rocio Lopez of Common Sense Latino

After a quick break from our Super Mamas ZOCIAL, we’re here with a new episode! We’re still under the safer at home order, and we’ve been spending so much time watching tv and online, even after homework and work is done. It got us thinking about one of the last guests we interviewed before the lockdown happened - Rocio Lopez from Common Sense Latino. We decided to rerecord her interview for a better update on how we can have a healthy balance of technology during this newfound time at home.

We talk about setting up screen time schedule and tech free zones, child safety while online, and easy tech tips everyone can use while social distancing. She even shared her top technology tips and some free resources below! Every family and situations is different, so there’s no need to feel shame for extending tech time; luckily Rocio and Common Sense Latino will help us learn how to balance it all!

More about Rocio Lopez: Rocío López is the Community Partnerships Manager for Common Sense Latino and facilitates parent workshops and coaching on healthy media habits and wellbeing in the digital age. She is passionate about working in the community and providing free resources for Latinx families to thrive in this world of media and tech. Rocío regularly does segments on Univision LA about technology and parenting. A theatre teaching artist by trade, she has 15 years of professional experience coordinating youth and family programs in California and New York, as well as developing arts programs for children and foster youth. 

Rocio’s Top Tech Tips

1. Set up a screen time schedule for your household. Every child is different, but accommodate their schedule with your work schedule so they coincide.

2. Build in tech free zones and tech free times into your schedule. For example - not technology during meals, in the bed, during exercise, one hour before bedtime etc.

3. Have your kids use their technology in close proximity to you so you can listen and overhear what they’re doing & saying.

4. Be aware of your children’s behavior changes. Are they acting out because of the time they’re spending online (or not spending online)?

LINKS

Learn more about Common Sense Media and the free resources, like technology ratings & reviews for apps, books, games, movies, website and more, and everything else they offer on commonsensemedia.org.

Check out wideopenschool.org, a free resource site for educators and families with kids from kindergarten through 12th grade, for more activities and learning opportunities.

Follow Rocio’s adventures on Instagram or Twitter @itsRocioLopez 

Get FREE weekly bite-sized advice and tips right to your text messages, in English or Spanish!! Just text the word KIDS or FAMILIA to 21555

Episode 161: Conscious Parenting with Somos Padres, Yesenia Mendoza-Menchaca

View fullsize

Photo Credit: Carolina Adame

View fullsize

Photo Credit: Rachel Carillo

View fullsize

Photo Credit: Carolina Adame

View fullsize

Photo Credit: Rachel Carillo

This week on the podcast we have our friend and co-host of the Somos Padres Podcast, Yesenia Mendoza-Menchaca. We discuss Yesenia's 6-episode Summer Series podcast project in which she deconstructs the meaning of parenting. We ask her questions such as: what is your definition of discipline? How do we set limits on our child in a healthy way? Is parenting a selfish act? We also do a dive deep into quotes from the ultimate conscious parenting expert, Dr. Shefali Tsabary.

But first, Bricia is away in Oaxaca so Paulina and Elizabeth sit down and chat about their long Labor Day weekend. 

You can stream Somos Padres on iTunes and find them at somos-padres.com and on Instagram as @somos.padres. Follow Yesenia on Instagram as @Iam.Yesenia

Our conversation with Yesenia Mendoza-Menchaca

(12:50): How did you come up with the summer series idea?

(13:50): Episode 21: Summer Series (Ep.1): Deconstructing Parenting

(15:00): Episode 22: Summer Series (Ep.2) Discipline

(17:30): Episode 23: Summer Series (Ep.3): Conditional vs Unconditional love

(24:50):  Episode 24: Summer Series (Ep.4): Inequality [in our homes]

(28:28): Episode 25: Summer Series (Ep.5): Is Parenting a Selfish Act?

VIDEO: Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations - Dr. Shefali Tsabary: Conscious Parenting Can Change the World

(35:30): Deconstructing- “we not only want them to represent ourselves but the better part of ourselves that we haven’t even become yet”

(38:40): Deconstructing- “Raising our children without a hierarchical view - what kind of children are you going to have if you’re not in charge?”

(40:38): what is true self-care?

(45:00): Deconstructing- "Parents would rather believe that they have a bad child then accept that it’s an inner problem for themselves. the unacceptance of our child’s essence, every manifestation of that is where we have to grow. We are scared to drop our ego’s”

Pick or Tip of the Week

Yesenia suggests that we take a parenting class that speaks to us specifically, start looking with ECHO. Also, curious about her reading list? Click here and add the The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer to it. 

Paulina is all about the Oprah podcast. Listen to her interview with Dani Shapiro: What Do You Believe?

Bricia's ultimate spiritual read is The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav. Tip: Listen to it via audible because it can get DEEP.