Happy Halloween!

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Buzz Buzz

The blogosphere is all a buzz about this simple yet lovely blog called Paris versus New York. I'm in love with both cities. I'm on a quest to visit both. Luckily, I've already checked off New York. The illustration above is my current favorite. Way too adorable not to feature.

It's Officially Awesome: Please Don't Go - Mike Posner

Where Was I?

Give up? At our local courthouse downtown. We like fancy things here. I love playing tourist at home. There's so much to see even though we've been living here for 4 years.

Twenty Five Plus One

Inspired By: Tim Flach

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Babies! Bebes!

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When I went to Chicago, my friend Nic told me all about Babies. She said that she loved it. Ever since then, I've been looking forward to watching it. Once it started streaming on Netflix, I just had to watch it. I thought it was an interesting social commentary on one of the most universal aspects of culture: child rearing.

I loved the Mongolian baby. There seemed to be a radiating warmth and serenity whenever that baby was on screen. When his brother puts him out to pasture is one of the hilarious highlights of the movie. There's an earthiness to Namibian baby. There's a sweetness to the Japanese baby. The only baby that I couldn't connect with was the American baby living in San Francisco. Interesting, no? I totally recommend this movie. The cinematography is very engaging. It's always nice to have a break from movies filled with dialogue and watch a movie that has very little dialogue.

Counting Those Lucky Stars

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My hubster and I learned that teachers and engineers have a thing for each other. Many of his co-workers are married to or are dating teachers. Lately, he's heard a few stories about teacher wives/girlfriends having to move far away from their engineers because they can't find jobs in our area. It's terrible. I feel luckier than ever to be working with the kiddos that I get to work with even though it's not a full time gig. Hopefully, two halves will make a whole soon. For now my hubster reminds me, I have nothing to complain about. Thanks for keeping my perspective on track. That's why I keep him around.

Old School

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Today, I read a story with my kiddos called A Hut for Zig Bug. Zig Bug seriously has to step into the 21st century. He accessorizes his hut with a peanut shell, a thimble, a bottle cap, and a stamp. Try asking kiddos what a thimble, a bottle cap, and a stamp is when they play games on an iPod  Touch, send emails to their grandparents, and drink out of Klean Kanteens. Good thing, I have some kiddos who hang out with their grandparents a lot. I had one kiddo tell his group what a thimble was. Woot!

Throwback Tuesday: Crazy In Love - Beyonce

So True

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Surprises

When things get hard, certain people always manage to surprise me. Their immense amount of tenderness, kindness, and attentiveness is nothing short of miraculous. I wonder if I could dig deep inside myself and find the same traits when someone needs me the most. It's in these moments that the beauty of the human soul is revealed and should be remembered.

Last Harvest

Starting to Look A Lot Like Halloween

Why Do I Love: Traveling

I love traveling because of 

the newness,
the unfamiliar,
the sense of adventure,
the feeling of a dream being fulfilled. 

I'm Waiting Too

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No child's education and future should be determined by a ball, a computer, or a folded piece of paper in a box. We are all responsible for our children and their education. They need that education to have their future--to reach their dream job. Yes, everyone has a dream job even the little ones. Do you remember what it felt like to dream of what you wanted to be when you grew up? Do you remember listing three or four (most likely unrelated) professions? 

At one point, I wanted to be a corporate lawyer, a veterinarian, and a waitress. (My mom squashed that waitress dream as soon as she could.) I'm in the trenches each and every day with the rugrats. I never imagined that this would be my career and my passion. Yes, it's harder than it looks. Yes, it's more rewarding than it looks. I'm in the trenches with them because I had amazing teachers who taught me to believe in myself and my dreams. They helped me develop the skills and the drive to follow the dreams that I didn't know lived deep within my heart. We need teachers like that. I know many of them. Say thank you as often as you can because not everyone is like them.

Catch Up: Cat Show

We're not crazy cat people. I swear. However, we were curious about the cat show, and curiosity got the best of us. My hubster's friend went to a cat show, and he liked it. He's not the kind of guy that I would imagine being at a cat show. What did I think of the cat show? Some parts were interesting. Some parts were just straight up bizarre. I loved seeing the different kinds of breeds. We finally got to see another Norwegian Forest Cat. He was HUGE! It made our girl look like the littlest thing, which are words I would never use to describe her.

Going Batty

We're in the midst of learning about bats. Very festive, right? I was talking to the kiddos about how bats are mammals. 

Me: How do we know that bats are mammals? 
Kiddo: Because they're nocturnal. 
Me: Are all mammals nocturnal? Are we nocturnal? 
Kiddo: Hmmm...yes. We are! 
Me: Are you sure?
Kiddo: Teenagers are nocturnal! They stay up all night long. 

Adorbs! 

Inspired By: Suzy Lee

From Wave

From Shadow

I am always mesmerized with books by Suzy Lee. Wave was the first of her books that caught my eye at our local bookstore. Then, I saw Mirror. Her latest book Shadow just had to be mine. It's amazing how Suzy Lee can tell a story without words. Her illustrations speak volumes. Each of her books are endearing and enchanting. They're made of sweetest aspects of childhood. 

It's Possible

I dwell in Possibility--

A fairer House than Prose--

More numerous of Windows--

Superior--for Doors-

Of Chambers as the Cedears--

Impregnable of Eye--

And for an Everlasting Roof

The Gambrels of the Sky--

Of Visitors--the fairest--

For Occupation--This--

The spreading wide my narrow Hands

To gather Paradise--

-Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

Be Thankful

Taken at the Art Institute of Chicago May 2010

This week has been beautiful. I've been more patient with myself, which has allowed me to realize my potential without the fog of frustration. Kind words have been shared with me. It's always refreshing to know that the vision I have for our classroom is being realized and seen by the kiddos and parents. I've been inspired by my kiddos' creativity. It helps me see the world in a new light where everything is lovely in its own way. Most important, my husband's silliness has been utterly contagious. I'm so thankful.

New York Sick

When I read this Paris Sick post by E, it finally clicked what my heart was complaining about. I'm New York sick. The energy. The food. The sites. What is there not to love? It's the only other place where I could see myself living and being happy. Being there was like a dream. It was overwhelming and ended way too soon. New York, I will find my way back to you.

"Thank You For Being Beautiful and Extremely Confusing."

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Last night, we stayed up past our bedtime to be less than five feet away from Maroon 5 and OneRepublic. Yes, we could see their beads of sweat. Yes, we were also supposed to see Bruno Mars. From the looks of the program, it seems like Bruno has dropped off as an opener for the tour. Most likely, it's because of his incident in Vegas. Boo! I was really bummed about it. 

OneRepublic was awesome! Ryan Tedder had amazing stage presence. So energetic! He also has a great sense of humor. He messed with the security by the stage a bit. He mixed things up a bit with an impromptu bit of JT's Sexy Back. He also did a cover of Stand by Me. His mic wasn't the best. The girls behind us knew every song, but sung off key at the top of their lungs. I guess it's all a part of being in the pit.


The crew had to change the set in between each performance, which led for a bit of a wait. Maroon 5 was totally worth the wait. They did all of their hits. They mixed it up with a cover of an Alicia Key's If I Ain't Got You. Loved it! Of course, they did She Will Be Loved, which is my all time favorite Maroon song. Adam Levine prefaced the song that inspired the title for this post. Adam had great stage presence. He talks how he sings, which reminds me of how David Beckham talks. He's also got a bit of model swagger to his walk. He was adorable in his Elvis inspired ensemble. He even gave his grandma a shout out since she was in the audience. 


We are quite spoiled to be in the middle of the central coast and enjoy so many amazing concerts! 

Throwback Tuesday: Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden

Hello October!

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October is one of my favorite months. It's when it really starts feeling fallish here. The wind begins to blow. The leaves from the trees (that actually lose their leaves) begin to fall. Apples and pumpkins are in season. We start studying bats and spiders at school. I start getting the details for my Halloween costume finished. I eat pumpkin shaped cookies. We pick pumpkins to carve. My hubster gets to eat his pumpkin pie. 

Happy Birthday, Old Man!

My hubster turns a whopping 28 years old today. Happy birthday! I feel so lucky to have somebody so patient, sweet, kind, and hilarious in my life. When I wake up next to you, my heart is filled with love and the potential of having a wonderful day. Thank you for the gift that you give me each day.