By // by Ashley
This is an exciting time of the year to be a teacher of young children because learning about the Pilgrims and Indians is a subject my second graders are always interested in. Squanto’s story is especially fascinating. He was such a survivor! Squanto was kidnapped from his home in America in 1605 by English …
This Thanksgiving Toast to Squanto with your family!Read More
By // by Ashley
Ego is an exaggerated sense of self-importance, a conceit. It is a force that causes us to care about being better than everyone else. Ego fuels our competitive nature. It can be a healthy driving force but our ego can also cause problems if we let it consume us. My ballet teacher said, “Let go …
By // by Ashley
I remember being 15. It was really hard! Austin Gray, the narrator and main character of The Sweetheart of Prosper County is a delight to get to know. It’s about the journey she goes on trying to become the Sweetheart of the FFA. Austin prospers in Prosper! This is a mature young adult book and …
A book that can be shared with women of all ages: The Sweetheart of Prosper CountyRead More
By // by Ashley
The day can leave me feeling spent! It doesn’t matter if it’s a workday or weekday. At the end of the day, I’m exhausted! That’s why I love the morning! It’s a fresh start, nothing has gone wrong, and everything could go right! Making breakfast can be a fun family affair! We can get so …
By // by Ashley
Please let me start by stating, I am not an expert by any means on language studies. However, I have always had a great fascination with cultures and languages. I’m a xenophile! When visiting another country that we are not familiar with, Americans should politely and humbly ask residents if they speak English — …
By // by Ashley
I recently read an article in the Argyle Sun Newspaper about a 101-year-old woman who credits her longevity to her friendships. After I read it I said to my friend Laurie, “I think this woman is right, the secret to living to be 100 is friendship! Just look at Georgie (click here for the article). …
Friendship is a gift we should treasure like our healthRead More
By // by Ashley
Marie Antoinette, Coco Chanel, Audrey Hepburn and Miuccia Prada exemplify fashion for me. Coco Chanel said, “Fashion is in the sky, in the street; fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” I believe fashion is like an elegant language, with it you can create reality or fantasy… When I …
By // by Ashley
I went to college out of state in Alabama. Living somewhere other than Texas I became more proud to be a Texan. When I’m away from home and someone asks me where I’m from, it gives me great satisfaction to say Texas! When my friend Natalie and I were traveling in Switzerland and people found …
By // by Ashley
I could have so easily fallen for Thomas Jefferson! Sally Hemings would have had some good competition from me had I lived back then! I share Jefferson’s aesthetic for all things French and his love for food. He was experimental, brave, and passionate about food. The father of agriculture, Thomas Jefferson changed the way we …
By // by Ashley
How do you raise worldly and cultured children? Education through culture gives us a new way of seeing things. This is what I want for my children. I want to teach them to embrace other customs, food, and people with their eyes open. C’est la vie! My second grade classroom and my own children will learn …
By // by Ashley
There is an exercise in Pilates called “imprinting”. You visualize your spine lengthening and sinking down into soft sand, lightly imprinting. This reminds me of writing your name in wet sand or cement and how it is so easy to make an impression. Well, children are like wet cement in the way it takes the …
By // by Ashley
One of the hardest obstacles children face today is learning good manners without seeing any. It is sad to see adults be uncivil to each other because children follow suit. What are manners? They are a happy way of doing something. Emily Post wrote, “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If …