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 …
Fresh Fall Scent
I am not monogamous to any one perfume. I have my favorites but I like to change them out periodically. I’ve been on a Chanel No 5 kick for about a year. A few weeks ago, my husband was hugging me and said, “I think it’s time to change your perfume.” I was shocked and …
Wishing you a peach of a school year
The last several months I’ve made dozens batches of jelly. Our pantry is always stocked with Certo and I’ve been experimenting with the fruits of the season. In August, it’s peaches! School started last week and for my first grade team, I gave them each a jar of peach jelly…wishing them a peach of a …
Lime time
The other week, I was ordering groceries to be delivered and I thought I bought four limes for a simple sirup that I like to make with my Prosecco. I ended up buying four bags of limes!! FOUR BAGS OF LIMES!! What in the world was I going to do with four bags of limes?? …
Happy 20th in 2020
Twenty years ago on July 1, 2000 my husband, Derek and I said “I do!” My mom said to me the other day, “It feels like yesterday.” I think if feels just right…twenty is a beautiful number. I’ve been an elementary school teacher for twenty-one years. My first year of teaching, I didn’t have very …
Summer 2020
What have been your favorite things to do while you’re at home? These are mine… Paddleboarding. I recently got my very own SUP board and it’s made this time so much better. I toss it in the pool to practice yoga and Pilates and test my balance and then take it to the lake to …
La Pitchoune: Virtual Pasta Cooking Class
If you keep up with me on this little blog, you know that I adore all things French and that I’m a little A LOT obsessed with Julia Child. When I found out that La Pitchoune was offering virtual cooking class and it was on making laminated pasta, I made sure that my family, my …
Strawberry Jelly: the perfect summer gift to say thank you
My mom and I make tabasco jelly for Christmas presents and I thought…why not make strawberry jelly for the end of the school year to say thank you. After teaching first grade virtually for a few months, teachers needed to return supplies back to the kids. I decided to give my first graders some strawberry …
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April is for letters
Did you know that the U.S. Postal Service officially designated April National Card and Letter Writing Month in 2001 “to raise awareness of the importance and historical significance of letter writing?” A whole month dedicated to letters…yes please! Everything about a letter screams “somebody cares”: the name and address in familiar handwriting, the knowledge someone took …
Traveling art: Monet & Cassatt
Good art can pull you in…only if you simply make the effort to extend your hand. My favorite week of being an elementary teacher is the week of open house because it’s when I get to have my second dream job as an art docent as the PTA Arts and Education chair. We started the week with …
Why Everyone should be scared out of their mind about melanoma
This is a guest post by my daughter, Zooey. She was working on her eighth grade English writing project and her legacy project that was inspired by her grandfather (my dad, Bill Wood, who is fighting Melanoma). Imagine spending all day out in the sun without any sunscreen. Sounds pretty innocent doesn’t it? That one …
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