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.
Sneaky and Spineless Strategies in Parenting
Every parenting book I read tells me to be consistent and have a firm hand. Set rules and boundaries. Show them who's boss. They have sleep books, parenting books, collections, videos, and Supernannies all there to help me be perfect. And self-help books in case I go...
I Survived Storm Nemo, the Great Snowpocalypse
I lived in upstate New York through the ice storm of 1993. It reminded me of Narnia--probably, to this day, the most striking thing I have ever seen. It was stunning. Crystal ice encasing trees, bowing their branches in genuflection toward nature, refracting a million...
Today, An Idea Was Born
Today, an idea was born. I was talking with one of my upperclassmen. He showed me a picture of his new car. We had talked cars before--this was a different one. Turns out he's been flipping cars. He's sourced the welding to a friend's dad, has a garage that will...
A Micron in the Universe Can Change the World
It's 4AM. The middle of the night for some, and I have just been presented with a question about the vastness of the universe for further consideration. These are the moments when dialogue sparks up in the stillness of the night when no five-year old intuitively knows...
Happy Hangover Monday, America!
Happy Hangover Monday, America! It's the day when I walk around at work smiling and you all want to punch me in the face. It's awesome. I'm not sure if it'll be quite so bad this year, because none of my coworkers had anyone to root for--the Patriots weren't in the...
Musashi meets the Catcher: Strategy Lesson One
I am a terrible athlete. I studied martial arts for years--I worked and worked to memorize kata and I did a stint in tournaments. I was bored. You can only break stuff and do choreographed routines for so long. I was bored in martial arts, but also bored...
Filling the Empty Space in my Bookshelf…Visionaries Wanted
I have a special shelf dedicated to books written by important people in my life. Some were written by mentors, like Dr. Stan Lemons' collection and Dr. Brenda Meehan Waters, both among of the best of academics, and others by close friends. They have all impacted me....
How Technology is Changing the World–No Oxford Comma???
I'm drinking coffee and reviewing social media. I love when there's an honest to goodness conversation unfolding on Facebook or Twitter. I don't get those deep conversations in person as much anymore--the "college type" where we sat all night putting off papers some...
I Was Born in the Ice Age: Conversation While Walking Into the Library
"Mommy, you forgot your phone. " I left it plugged in resting on the center console. "Thank you, Declan."I said, turning off the streaming Pandora and unplugging it from the cord. "Do you know, when I was your age, they didn't have phones like this." "What did they...
Being a Stepmom: The Largest Challenge of Life
[Note: I wrote this for a friend, may she have some peace, and got permission from The Girl to post. Thank you for your kind permission:) ] There's no support group for stepmoms. There should be—society hates us. We are always the bad guy. We are the evil witch....
Fighting Bad Guys Saves The World
I'm sitting here trying to clean off my desk so I won't be tempted to bring this computer on my yoga retreat. But The Boy Who Doesn't Sleep got up early. That's what he does. He zeroes in on my productive energy using it as a beacon to show up by my side. I wouldn't...
Kletzmer Music, The Farmer’s Market, and Rebuilding Rhode Island
I love the farmer's market. I feel comfortable. There are people like me at farmer's markets. There are people with canvas bags, no doubt tons of vegetarians, and older parents. That makes me smile because though I feel young at heart, and I hate it when I'm the only...