This is my original blog. I haven’t updated for years. I keep it as a reminder of the journey.
Please see Broke Teacher for education and Poser Homestead for chickens, recipes, and dead zucchini.
How Cleaning Got Me Jury Duty
Every once in a while life gives a pleasant surprise. I was cleaning my desk. I rarely get to the bottom, but I was looking for a specific piece of paper. The desk was unhappy, overwhelmed by the way-too-early holiday ads I usually send to "recycle." This time they...
Yoga Retreat: How I Broke Rules Learning “Portable Yoga”
Reflections...the worst yogi in the world goes on another yoga retreat... I went on another yoga retreat. This one was special. My friend Claudia Altucher gave it, calling it "Portable Yoga." Claudia promised to give a thousand yoga tools to take away. I'm loyal. I...
Leftover @#$# Muffins & Other Recycled Foods
"Mom, I promise I'll eat the bananas." Declan put two large bunches in the cart. "Are you sure? That's a lot of bananas." He's a picky eater, cycling through egg whites one week, apples the next, scoops of peanut butter--not sandwiches--alongside slices of home-baked...
There Are No Bus Monitors in Costa Rica
"Go ahead, call a regular cab...We'll reimburse you," said the wedding coordinator. We didn't mean to wake her at 5AM, but the card said, "For travel emergencies, call..." After a week in beautiful Costa Rica, two of us had to cut the trip short to get back to...
When Enviro-freaks Wake Up to $H!^
"What's a paper towel? said little Declan at a holiday meal. A member of the extended family asked for one. I passed around a stack of cloth napkins. "It's one of these made of paper." Declan laughed. When he saw his first paper napkin in a restaurant, he was...
How to Dispel Halloween Lies with Science and Candy
I've never seen anything like it. The Halloween Parade. This Norman Rockwell village, a throwback to a nicer time in America--where neighbors bring each other pies and talk to new people in town--really knows how to throw a party. We just had the Arts Festival, which,...
Inventing Holidays So Kids Can Be Insane
"Mom, since it's Halloween, can I have candy for breakfast?" Logical question, but no dice. "We go begging for candy tonight, I don't have any now. Tomorrow's the day you try to sneak candy." Halloween is the largest consumer holiday outside of American Consumer...
The Kerosene Desk
It's nearly the end of the first quarter at school. "Miss! I gave you that paper!" "Yes, you did. Yesterday. Late. It's in The Pile." The Late Pile is the pile of papers asking for forgiveness because students don't want bad grades engraved on their transcript. It's...
How I Use Board Games to Teach (because Teachers are Jerks)
I slept in, blowing my 4AM writing time out of the water. 4AM's the time when the peace of the universe and a fine cup of coffee combine to create a force field from intrusion. I'm sad--even when I sleep in I could still make work in plenty time if it weren't a...
Taking Candy from Babies
I don't eat processed foods but for once, I needed candy. I waited all day for a senior I've been trying to convert to healthy eating, because I knew she'd have junk food. I lurked around corners and told her friends I was waiting. Finally, she arrived at class. She...
When You Have the Bad Kid…
"Declan broke this pencil on purpose. He'll have to replace it." Yet another note from school. "Why did you do that?" I ask. He gives me a blank stare like he got his mind erased in a sci-fi movie. I have to funnel down excuses from "Someone else made me," and "It was...
Moms Have Demands!
I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. I come back. There's a giant dog where I should be. I haven't left for long--I don't need more than thirty seconds to pee. The dog was lying in wait. "That'll teach her to run low on dog treats," the dog...