Quinceanera Tradition With a Unique Idea

Are you looking for an unforgettable idea for your daughter's Quinceanera celebration without costing much money?

Today, I received a call from a Mom living in Florida. She shared with me: 'what's popular at many Quinceanera's Fiestas in her area'.

Picture this...

• A bouquet of balloons is created to hold the Quinceanera's special gifts and her new high heels for her special ceremony at the reception.
  

• Before the bouquet of balloons is put together, the Quinceanera's 'special gifts' being offered to her is placed in a separate balloon.

• A tag is placed on each balloon with the presenters name.

• When it's the presenters turn to offer their present to the Quinceanera, they break the balloon holding their gift.
  

• The presenter then offers their gift to the Quinceanera as they give a blessing and/or special words of love and appreciation.

• The Quinceanera's new high heels are also placed in a large balloon or balloons. When it's time for her father or honored person to place her new shoes on her feet. The balloon or balloons holding the shoes is broken. The shoes are removed and placed on her feet. A blessing or speech is given to the Quineanera, as she takes her first step as a young woman.

Does your area have it's own special tradition? If so... Please share it with me. If I post your story. You will receive my book as a gift from me: Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget.
email me your story at: priscilla@quinceaneraconnect.com.

If you've already purchased my book, you will receive a gift of equal value or greater value.

All the best,

Priscilla
P.S. For lots more ideas and tips check out: Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget- by Priscilla Mills. For your free download of the first two chapters. Scroll down on the link page. If you ... "Order Now" you will receive your gift/bonus of a 70 page Quinceanera eplanner with the purchase of book.

July 4th Celebrate Being Grateful

I was thinking... planning a Quinceanera celebration is a time to be grateful and so is the July 4th holiday. I just received this message I would like to share with you from the : White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans -

"On this Fourth of July, we join all Americans in expressing our gratitude for the freedom this national Holiday represents. Over this holiday weekend, please take a moment to share a positive thought for the men and women serving our nation in uniform."

Holidays are usually a time to be with our families and have fun. This July 4th is a time be grateful for what we have. We have the freedoms we enjoy in the United States, because so many brave people, either gave their lives or endangered their lives in the name of freedom.

Freedom gives us so much to be grateful for. However, when we have so much we usually take too much for granted.

Take a few moments now and practice being grateful for what you have.

• Take a deep breath and exhale...repeat this 3 times.
• Close your eyes and take 3 more deep breathes and exhale. Smile...
• Think of 3 things you are grateful for.
  
• Feel the blessings of what you have.
  
• Hold on to those wonderful feelings and say thank you for what you have.
  
• Now take 3 more deep breathes and exhale.
  
• Open your eyes smile and remember the wonderful feeling of being grateful for what you have.

Whenever a negative message or feeling, comes into your head take a deep breath and smile and remember the wonderful feelings of being grateful. Send the negative thoughts away....far, far away. Hold on to those grateful feelings and ask God for more gifts and say thank you. Be ready to accept the gifts of life you deserve.

Blessings,
Priscilla
PS: check out my book that I wrote for the Quinceanera and her family. You can download the first two chapters free.

How to Make a Dream Quinceanera Reality

Mom the first secret is to sit down and discuss your dreams with your daughter. And listen to her dreams. I received a call the other day from a Mom who told me what she was planning for her daughter's Quinceanera. She said her daughter was leaving everything up to her. The only thing her daughter shared was she didn't want a Corte de Honor.

The Mom never asked her daughter 'WHY' she didn't want to have a Corte de Honor. Planning your daughter's Quinceanera is the perfect time to share. To share ideas and time to share quality time. Time to communicate on a different level.

It's important to remember that the Quince celebration is all about your daughter making her transition from a little girl to a young woman. Why not start now and use the planning process for helping both of you create a beautiful new bond as she prepares for her transition to a young woman.

There are so many decisions that have to be made. The first item for the family to discuss is the 'budget'. The amount of money planned to be spent, will be a major influence on most of the other decisions to be made.

The good news is: you don't need to spend a lot of money to have a lovely and memorable occasion.

'# 1 ...work out a budget'

Budget Guide

• 50% to 52% of the budget is usually spent on the food/beverages/banquet hall
• 15% to 18% Photographer and/or videographer
• 3% to 5% Flowers
• 2 to 3 % Cake
• 5% to 6% Dress for Quinceanera and her accessories
• 3% to 18% Music- decision live band and/or D.J
• 3% Invitations
• 5 to 10% Misc.

The planning process should be fun. Start now...

Wishing you all the best,
Priscilla
P.S. Your "perfect guide" for having a "dream Quinceanera celebration" is...Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget- by Priscilla Mills. "Order Now" and receive your gift/bonus of a 70 page Quinceanera eplanner with the purchase of book.

How To Be the Mom Your Quinceanera Needs

Have you heard the news lately about the increase in high school teen pregnancy this year? Some people are screaming, “Where are their mothers”?

I’m sure many of the mothers have been saying, “My daughter won’t talk to me”. All my daughter does is argue with me and then she runs off crying or yelling at me. Does that sound familiar?

In the book I authored: Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget, I wrote, “your daughter may be begging for Independence, but she wants your approval now”.

It might seem impossible to be the ‘perfect mom’ of a teen, but you can do it. There was no instruction manual when you delivered your daughter. Nor did you ever think about the challenges you both would have when she entered puberty and then celebrated her right-of-passage and beyond.

The secret is to start communicating as early as possible with your daughter about what she will encounter when her body starts to make changes.

• She needs to hear from her loving mother, being born female is a gift from God.
• A gift she should be proud of and cherish.
  
• A gift she should not share until she is old enough and wise enough to make the right choices.
  

During one of my many interviews when I was performing the research for my book. One of the interviews was with Isabel. She said, " my mother never told me about what she should expect with the changes in my body".

Isabel said she was totally unprepared. She was embarrassed when she started to menstruate. It came on at school. She thought she was dying. She ran to the school nurse for help.

• She never had a close relationship with her mother again.
• She didn’t trust her mother any longer to be her guide.
• She felt her mother let her down.

Isabel’s story was sad. She said she made the wrong choices. She had a baby when she was in college. She knew she didn’t want to have anything to do with the child's father. She dropped out of school.

• She didn’t tell her mother until the baby was about to be born.
• Unfortunately, the baby was born with serious health problems.
• As she was telling me her story, I could hear anger in her voice. It was possibly the same anger she felt when she believed her mother let her down.

Start today: become your daughter’s teacher not her preacher:

• Your role as the mother of a teen has changed.
• However, your daughter needs you more than ever before.
• She needs you to listen to her problems without criticism.
• She wants to feel like a grownup, but she is scared.
• Everyday she has all the social pressures to deal with at school.
• Her body and hormones are changing constantly.
• One day someone is her best friend the next day her enemy.
• She needs you more than ever before.

A few secrets to start with:

• Ask your daughter to help you with a simple task that you can both do together. – Preferably something fun.
• Praise her for her help.
• Tell her you love her and talk about something positive.
• Then let her talk. JUST LISTEN.
• If she doesn’t say anything. That’s fine. After you both are finished with the task. Give her a big hug. Tell her you love her and appreciate her help.
• Let a few days go by. Then ask for her help again for something simple and quick. Repeat the process.
• Then follow up each day and without asking for her help…give her a hug and thank her for being such an important part of your life.

Your daughter will start to feel she can trust you. You will have reconnected with love and without anger and yelling.

I’m planning on writing an e book about the important role a mother has in her daughter's life. From my research I've found if a teen girl doesn’t have a close trusting, loving relationship with her mother. She runs off into the arms of a boy and she makes the wrong choices.

I invite you join a group of mothers who want the best for their daughter.

Please - call me toll free at (866) 478-4623 or email me at:
Priscilla@quinceaneraconnect.com. So we can chat about your relationship with your daughter. I will share my research with you.

Your daughter’s Quinceanera will be more meaningful for everyone involved when you – speak from your heart and don’t criticize her.

All the best,
Priscilla
PS: Until my e book is published, you will find my book- Quinceanera Connection-“Parent Talk” section very helpful for creating a loving, trusting relationship with your Quinceanera. For a limited time you will also receive your free bonus/gift of a 70-page Quinceanera
e planner. – BUY NOW! free shipping.

Seven Secrets for Having an Amazing Quinceanera on a Small Budget

I received a call from Elena, a mom who told me she had always "dreamed of giving her daughter a beautiful Quinceanera". I was nearly in tears when I heard her story. Elena said, she had been in a serious accident and the family was just getting back on their feet. Not only did she have to deal with the trauma of an accident... her medical bills were huge and overwhelming.

Elena had purchased my book: Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget. She wanted to share her ideas and what she was considering doing for her daughter's Quinceanera after reading my book.

Elena said, " she now believed, it was possible for her to have a beautiful Quinceanera celebration for her daughter - that would fit into her small budget."

Elena was delighted she was well enough to plan her daughter's Quince fiesta. She said it was fine for me to share what she was planning to do and write about it on my blog. She felt it would be helpful for other mom's to know "you don't need to spend a lot of money in order to fulfill your dreams".

The following are 7 tips from her long list for having a " amazing Quinceanera on a small budget:"

1. Together the family reviewed the proposed guest list. After much discussion they cut the guest list in half. They shared it was better to have a small Quinceanera celebration than not have one at all. They decided to only invite family members and close friends. They still had guest list of almost 100 people.

2. Her daughter with the help of other family members decided on a color theme for her Quinceanera party. In order to save money they are planning on making everything except:

• The Quinceanera dress
• The album
• The tiara

(They set up a planning workbook with pages set aside for color samples and pictures for everything they were thinking of making.)

3. Each of the Quinceanera's sisters volunteered to take on a different responsibility for the party.

• Her older sister who had taken cake decorating classes offered to bake her a special birthday cake.
  
• They decided to test different types of cakes and fillings and invite a few family members and friends for a cake testing party. (Sounds like lots of fun to me)

4. Another sister likes taking pictures and making things with photos. She offered to take pictures of the Quinceanera's friends and place them in cute frames she will decorate. These will be used as place card holders and mementos for her friends to take home.

5. They decided on a menu and are asking certain family members to make a specific dish. The food will be served buffet style. Other family members are being asked to bring beverages.

6. A close friend of the family is a videographer. He was asked if he would take the video of the Quinceanera's special day. Knowing the family was experiencing a financial hardship ... he said he would be honored to produce the video of her "Quinceanera celebration story".

7. The major decision was where to hold the Quinceanera Celebration. The family home is too small for the fiesta. Elena is in the process of asking family members if they could use their home for the party. They have had a few offers and are deciding which one will be the best for the "spectacular Quinceanera Celebration".

"Elena turned a challenge into an amazing and fun - family project."

I would love to hear your own ideas and experiences. Please leave me a comment here or email me at: Priscilla@quinceaneraconnect.com

The Quinceanera tradition dating back to the early 1500's was a community event. Everyone participated with either making handmade gifts, dresses, handicrafts, music and food or what ever was needed to create a "spectacular celebration".

All the best,
Priscilla
PS: The bonus-gift of the very popular ... 70-page Quinceanera eplanner is still available with the purchase of my book- Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget. "A value of $25.00 for only $12.95 with free shipping."

Mom - the unsung heroine of the Quinceanera

The dictionary definition of heroine is: a mythological or legendary woman having the qualities of a hero b: a woman admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities.

Even the dictionary makes reference to the male hero to define the feminine extraordinary woman. The heroine or the Goddess.

Yes, mom de la Quinceanera is the unsung heroine. Whether it's planning your daughter's Quinceanera or helping other family members in need of your help it's more than likely you to the rescue. Who comes to your rescue when your feet hurt so much you can hardly walk?

But, unsung means you quietly perform what ever is required, without asking for help. You probably do it all on your own.

I hear all to often that's what's happening to mom's when they are planning their daughters Quinceanera. But, please share with me whose fault is it? Do you ask for help? Did you make a list and ask friends and family to help with different tasks? If you can say yes, then you are a smart good delegater. And, a good role model for your daughter. If you answered no. You need to spend some alone time and figure out a plan to get some assistance in order for you to not get stressed and avoid getting sick.

My first recommendation is to purchase my book: Quinceanera Connection: Your Dream Celebration On Any Budget. The book is the perfect guide for helping you to be organized and it contains all the tips and tools you need when planning a large event. It's the best investment you can make.

Everyone who has read it, says they can't stop reading it and then they refer to it on all the time. The bonus - 70 page Quinceanera eplanner you get when you buy my book, will help you with every step of your planning process. Plus, the usual hectic last week and the day of the Quinceanera will all come together with ease. You will avoid costly mistakes and you will save money. Because of the 101 tips and information noted in the book, you will be able to not only be the heroine, you will enjoy being the Queen.

In fact... if it was up to me I would make sure every mother wore a crown at her daughter's Quinceanera Celebration. Mom's deserve special recognition. Maybe, I should start a trend and promote a crown for mom de la Quinceanera.

What do you think? Would you wear one? Please let me know. For the next two weeks everyone who phones me, will be asked that question. I will then post the answers here.

Enjoy, relax, take care of yourself.

All the best,
Priscilla

Creating Magic When Planning your Quinceanera Celebration

Wow...I've been receiving phone calls from Mom's of the Quinceanera who are starting to plan their daughter's celebration two years ahead of time. Each mom shared they feel if they purchase the things they need for their daughters celebration a little at a time they can afford to have the dream party they had always hoped to have.

Thoughts from other mom's-

Elizabeth, one of the moms shared; she feels there is no financial burden on the family this way. Instead of spending small amounts of money on unnecessary day to day things, she is saving and buying things as she goes along planning her daughter's Quinceanera celebration.

Alma, another mom I spoke with said: 'after I make my purchase I put it in a special place for safe keeping. My daughter and I look at everything at least once every few weeks. We have a list of what we want to buy and we have so much fun checking out everything all the time'. I could hear the joy in her voice. It was magical.

I've found when I plan a party or vacation it's as much fun as the actual experience it self. Don't miss out on the double fun. It's important to take enough time during the planning process so everyone has the opportunity to share in the double fun and excitement. First during the planning process and then the actual celebration.

That's why it's so important to leave enough time to enjoy every experience along the way.

Think about how wonderful it's to watch your favorite movie twice. Don't you enjoy the movie more the second time? Don't you feel more comfortable because you've been there before?

I know for myself I miss things the first time when I see a movie. The second time I see new things and have a new magical experience.

Plan ahead make the planning process a lot of fun and a magical bonding happening for everyone involved in your daughter's Quinceanera celebration.

BUY NOW- your perfect guide-book with the bonus 70 page Quinceanera eplanner to help you create your daughter's magical day.