Celebrating a child’s birthday with their peers brings so much joy. I’m on my twenty-fourth year of being an elementary teacher. For many of those years, we celebrated birthdays with cupcakes. What most elementary teachers do now is much more meaningful than cupcakes. We celebrate with a book. Parents choose a book, wrap it like …
Chicken and biscuit dumplings
There’s a new staple in my pantry…buttermilk biscuits from Biscuit Head. I’m a fan of cozy comfort foods and have previously made them using Parmesan cheese and flour. I was out of Parm and having a snow day with biscuit mix in the pantry…I’ll never do dumplings any other way. They floated on my chicken …
Merge Cube
I’ve been working on my masters at ASU in learning design and technologies. I worked on an applied project and an evaluation in research. I was inspired to research and create an eLearning course on “An Introduction to Merge Cube.” It’s easily accessible and a lot of fun. I’m pushing it out to elementary teachers because it’s the teachers that need to …
Social Emotional Learning
I’m in my twenty-fourth year of being an elementary teacher and my passion has always been fostering a caring community. There is so much that can be gained from teaching young children social emotional learning. They need help learning how to navigate relationships, social awareness, and self-management which are all essential SEL tools to carry …
Lemon Curd
We have the sweetest little lemon tree that my parents gave us several years ago. It makes me so happy to see more lemons coming back each year. The anticipation is even sweeter. We watch and wait for the lemons to ripen. The very beginning of November was lemon harvest time for us in Texas. …
Wishing you a rosy school year
We’re back in school and if you try REALLY hard you can find the sweetness…my own kids are so happy to be back. My first grade students come to school with BIG smiles excited to learn in-person. Teachers are happy to teach at school and not virtually. It’s true that the soul is healed by …
Losing my Dad: Saint-Exupéry says it best
To lose a someone who has the most wholehearted acceptance into your soul is one of life’s most devastating heartbreaks. We lost my Dad a few months ago to melanoma. This quote from Saint-Exupery was read by my Dad’s law partner at his funeral and I think it speaks so true to how you feel …
Mockingbird Station: Mari Pohlman’s Summer Strong Visual Cue
The other day, my daughter and I were having lunch in Dallas and we walked by this summer mural in Mockingbird Station. I’m reading a book Visual Design Solutions for this class I’m taking and had been reading that good visual design can be an, “experience that creates a positive emotional state…” and “produces an …
Mockingbird Station: Mari Pohlman’s Summer Strong Visual CueRead More
Mom’s Hot Mustard
My mom is famous for her hot mustard. She usually makes it during the holidays. I feel like I’ve turned into my mom ever since the pandemic hit! I’m craving her cooking and since we haven’t been able to cook together like we usually do, I’m making her recipes for her. My dad has been …
Tabasco Jelly & Bloody Mary Mix
You know what goes really well with Tabasco Jelly? A Bloody Mary and Bing Crosby. I missed making Christmas jelly with my mom this year. I’ve missed spending time with my mom so much that I’ve turned into my mother…making jelly all the time! It helps me feel connected to her. It’s our tradition that …
Crepes: the perfect weekend breakfast
The last time I was in Paris, my husband and I were walking around Sacre Coeur mid morning and stopped to buy a crepe. I devoured it like an American and had Nutella all around my mouth. I stopped and asked an artist in Montmatre a question and noticed he gave me a quizzical look… …
Put some Arnica on it
Do you have a “mom phrase” that you’re known for? Mine is definitely “put some arnica on it.” There are two little things that I know help my children besides hugs… peppermints and arnica! They’re magical…I always have them in my Mary Poppins bag. Decades ago, one of my dance teachers told me to use …