Posted December 9, 2008 by Charlene Frias

One might wonder why a 4-year-old girl would be interested in the Jonas Brothers. I thought we were a couple of years away from the big leap from Sleeping Beauty to Hannah Montana.

But I was in for an eye opener when Dalia's 13-year-old cousin Iliana strolled in with an aura of coolness for a visit last month. I quickly began wondering where the CliffsNotes on the years ahead were hiding on my bookshelves. … Read More

Posted November 25, 2008 by Charlene Frias

Have you ever wondered how the simple act of putting on a costume can transcend a child into an imaginary world? Or how after reading a bedtime story like Amelia Bedelia, you find yourself swept into the kitchen by a tiny child intent on baking lemon meringue pies?

I find myself captivated by a child's ability to magically and freely engage in the world of make-believe. And when Dalia whisks… Read More

Posted November 5, 2008 by Charlene Frias

Do you remember making your very first best friends as a child? The very friends who became your first bike-riding buddies; who shared in scraped knees with you; and who feasted on breakfasts of Mickey Mouse pancakes with blueberry syrup after a long night’s sleepover? You know, the same friends that helped you dress up just so for middle school dances, in Gunne Sax dresses with feathered hair (boy, did… Read More

Posted October 28, 2008 by Charlene Frias

Thinking back, some of my fondest memories were of Halloween.

Do you remember the anticipation and the eagerness of choosing a costume? In our family, the excitement began with selecting a costume-in-a-box off the shelf at K-mart.

I recall my brother and I with our faces sweating behind plastic masks: him as Frankenstein, and me as Bozo the Clown. How appropriate! My mom snapped a Polaroid of us arm-in-arm posing in… Read More

Posted August 27, 2008 by Charlene Frias

Have you ever had a pair of shoes you loved so much that you couldn't bear to part with them? Little did I know that at age 3, a girl could be so affectionate about shoes.

My daughter Dalia settled into her favorite princess shoes when she was given a Cinderella dress on a whimsical weekend at Disneyland. Instantaneously, her "glass slippers" became the most valuable asset to her tiny toddler feet.

Ok, so at… Read More