Cue Vicente Fernandez and all the mariachis ...

Yo se bien que estoy afuera/ Pero el dia que yo me muera/ Se que tendras que llorar/ Llorar y llorar, llorar y llorar/ Diras que no me quisistes/ Pero vas a estar muy triste/ Y asi te me vas a quedar.

Oh, the saddest child in the world, boo hoo. Well I can mock her all I want but the toddler K's onesie says what she's probably really thinking at that moment -- Callate La Boca, lady...and put away that camera.

When I'd cry or throw a tantrum as a little girl my mother used to always tell me que fea me veia, and I remember that sometimes it slowed down my tantrum, but other times it just accelerated my anger and just make me spiral into a kicking, screaming and hyper-ventilating meltdown. Somewhere in my mom's house is a polaroid of me having a toddler breakdown. Ah, polaroids. Those were the days. 

I've been dying to get one for a while and finally ordered the toddler this uber-cute mija shirt from Hola Baby. Hola Baby has a sweet mijo shirt too. I don't know why, but every time I call my little girl mijita I just get this maternal feeling that stirs me. I don't use the words sweetie or darling or my dear or anything like that -- because those terms of endearment just feel wrong coming out of my mouther. But mijita is a warm and fuzzy word. It feels and sounds right. Nuestra palabra.

Right now Hola Baby is having a sale that is running through May 15. Use the code CINCO at checkout to get 20 percent off!!! Andale, go get your own mijo shirts or onesies.

Just a few days before the holiday shopping hell fun begins. Joy! Actually, I like shopping, but I usually do better online or in focused stores (Sephora) or boutiques. I feel totally overwhelmed every time I step into catch-all stores like Target or Wal-mart, or even Macy's or Marshalls, because I feel pressure to get through every department and not linger too long in any one.

OMG, and Ikea -- I can only do it about twice a year, and I have to take a mental break at the cafeteria every time. It's too much for me, especially with the toddler in tow because when she's done shopping, we're all done.

My husband gets frustrated with me when I go into a store, spend half an hour there and buy nothing. I always try to explain that's a good thing, but he sees it as a waste of time. That I should shop with a purpose. The thing is, the older I get the more I am shopping with a purpose. And that is to not let myself get overcome with "shopping disease" -- which is when you just totally buy crap just to buy crap.

Over the past year, instead of unleashing myself on Etsy, I've saved a bunch of different Etsy stores and items to my favorites list, thinking I might eventually buy some of these as Christmas gifts. If you aren't familiar with Etsy, it's basically like Ebay, but for handmade items that range from jewelry to clothes, art, toys, ceramics, etc. etc.

Etsy rocks my friggin' world. Prepare to be sucked into the black hole of shopping if you've never visited the site, muahahaha. If you'd rather look with a "purpose," here are a few things that I've found that are great for the chiquitos and mamacitas that would make terrific Christmas gifts:

1. ABCs of Cuisine kids shirts: Lala Lu is an organic baby shirt company from the Bay Area, and their selection is bilingualicious! It goes from 'A is for Amor' to 'H is for Helado' to 'P is for Pho' to 'F is for Falafel' and more. $20

2. Mi Vida heart necklace: The hard plastic resin heart, in red, that says Mi Vida is perfect for a little girl or big one. $15

3. Se Habla Espanol onesie: Hand-printed onesie is simple, and I love the font. $12

4. Spanish Nursery Decor: I ordered the Spanish alphabet poster from this Etsy store, Art and Philanthropy, a few months and framed and hung it in the toddler's room. The vintage farm animal cards are super adorable. They also have items in French, German, Italian, Hebrew and a few other languages. $22 and up. Holiday sale going on NOW!

4. Kids Enmascarado (Lucha Libre wrestler) Shirt: This Etsy store, minimalista clothing, also has some cute Frida Kahlo shirts for little girls. And cool stuff for big girls, too. $15

5. Bibs from Trata Threads, including one that says No Cookies for Santa Just Tostones. $10

6. Brown is Beautiful baby tshirt: Need I say more. $15

And if you're looking for handmade Christmas cards, there's always a Feliz Navidad lucha card or a Feliz Navidad mariachi card. Ah, nothing like a mariachi to make your holidays sparkle.

Nothing says allegiance like a soccer onesie. Baby K has had two so far--the first one is by Torcida Baby, and we got it in Brazil last year when we took a final 'vacations will never be this easy again' vacation to Rio de Janeiro. We friggin loved Rio, especially the absolutely gorgeous Confeitaria Colombo. Mmmmm. I was seven months pregnant but I'm sure if I went back today I'd still down three desserts in one sitting.

Baby K's padrino, who lives in H-town, gave her a Houston Dynamo onesie too. If you've never been to a Houston Dynamo game, NOTHING is more Latino and American than a Houston Dynamo game. You've got the misfit section of el Batallon, shooting off fireworks in the stands and shenanigizing. You've got the well-behaved suburban soccer moms, dads and kids. And then there's everything in-between. By many accounts, Houston is what America will look like in the future. And it is fabulous because of it.