Looks at what my Art Kids are doing!

They made masks for dance.

Working hard on their garden labels.

Their assignment was to create garden labels. We then sketched out our ideas, and chose our favorite sketches. Then we laid them out carefully on our wooden spoons and used a wood burner to burn our designs.








Each student was assigned three plants, and asked to do two sketches of each plant. They did a wonderful job. They are all very excited to be using a new tool, other than a pencil.


















We talked about the lines we would use, and the
shapes that make up the plant parts. We discovered quickly it was easy to draw once we thought about the basic shape of the object we were drawing.

Dog Circus

This week has been a dog circus. On top of my parents one dog, one cat, my two dogs, my one cat, we have acquired two homeless pets. That makes a total of five dogs and two cats. It is literally a zoo here. The old of the two homeless dogs is around a year. She is very sweet, very smart and she wiggles! We have named her Sandy, or Wiggles when she gets super excited. She is currently looking for a home!

The puppy has a harrowing story. On Friday when the decided to wonder into our lives at my parents shop. He and sandy wondered off while the shop picked up and got super busy so no one was able to keep a watchful eye as they crossed the street to investigate the gas station dumpster. As they were coming back, he got hit by a speeding car. Luckily a pedestrian pulled him to the side of the road and laid him in the grass. We quickly realized he was alive and my mom and Tyler rushed him to the ER and saved his life. He has some neurological brain damage which is affecting his reflexes and movement a little. That hasn't stopped him from playing though!

On top of this circus, my little kid cooties have not gone away yet. So I am throwing in the towel and going to the doctor this evening. Hopefully, he wont feel the need to drug me up too bad.

My new car is AMAZING it goes ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM. I still need to post a picture I promise its coming but I have to wash it and wax it - which requires me being well. Maybe tomorrow. 

U.S.S. Serenity

The U.S.S Serenity is set to make it's first OFFICIAL launch this weekend. I finally aquired a beautiful car - it came with a few issues but those are being aired out! I am so excited I will post a picture as soon as she is ready for her official debut! It was very amusing I get a text from Tyler that says "So we got the car, but there is a huge problem! It is a standard!" The first thought that ran through my mind was "Shit, I have to learn how to drive a stick in two hours so I can make sure that I can drive this car to and from work! IN TRAFFIC NO LESS, how am I going to do that!" So when he got home I quickly realized that it was not a standard in the standard sense. It is a standard transmission, but the car shifts it automatically - that being said I can shift it if I want but the car probably does a better job. Very neat technology!

This week has been so far the least stressful week since I moved back to Houston. I have finally realized the things that are in my control versus the things that aren't. Such as the quickness my apartment gets finished I understand that I can help, and that would speed the process along. The only thing is that my time is occupied full time by my teaching jobs, and I love that!

Kids in both my classes say funny things. My favorite quote from art this week was "If you can draw a squiggly line then you can pretty much draw Swiss Chard." I love those kinds of connections!
My favorite quote from the Montessori School was "This math problem is making me nervous can you please help me?" SO sweet and so innocent! I couldn't help myself to help. We worked through it and the student quickly realized that it wasn't such a big deal after all!

I often remind my students that sometimes we just need to take a step back - especially when we have done a lot of work and take a moment to breathe. Some times we just get so wrapped up in our work that it stresses us out then we get to a problem and suddenly we can't solve it. So it is very important to take that deep breath and take a moment and breathe!

Tyler quit his job at Houston Texas Consulting - he was very unhappy. Not his style of work honestly. So he made a strong proposal and case for my parents to hire him. This was his first week - and so far he has done very well. He made a big sell already and is catching on quick. But most importantly he is enjoying himself! and able to apply his knowledge that he acquired while in school. It is so nice to be able to see that big smile on his face when he comes home. 

Just Plain Cool

I want to open up with some very cool things about nature.

I love taking pictures of things with texture, or that perceive to have texture. I also find it amusing to take pictures of the colors of fruit. 

Downtown Houston and a Bald Cypress - in White Oak Bayou

A very delicious cantaloupe

Graffiti Eggplant

And lastly as I was sitting here enjoying my snack - because more than likely I wont eat dinner I watched a spider snare it's prey and tangle it up in its web. It was quite amusing. I was so much in awe I forgot to video tape it. Here is the aftermath though!

Also I am getting my car this week! Don't worry as soon as it is in my posession I will post a picture of it's glorious beauty! I am so excited! Also I am getting over my cooties infection, thank goodness. I love little kids, but they are so disease ridden!

Depending upon too many people + car buying + going on two months with out a paycheck + taking care of 26 children - living with family - supportive fiance/one person = stress

Funny things first.
Bella went into heat on Sunday. It was a source of amusement as we were all grieving the loss of our friend. It was quite hilarious as she stuck her butt into all the animals faces, and rolled around on the ground desperately trying to attract a mate. So she got spayed. I officially own only it's now. Hooray! I will see if I can get the video to load of her bizarre behaviors. She is also quite the sweet little kitten when she is on painkillers - and she likes them too. Thank you SNAP!

Tyler's things second.
I admit, Tyler can ride faster than me, but I think it might have something to do with he has a bigger bike, bigger muscles, and more gears than I do. More gears means less effort for power out put. Tyler had some issues that were quickly fixed, like most novices we forget just how much our feet will swell when we ride 20+ miles. Bike shoes are designed to be hard and to support your entire foot as you are only pushing with one part - hard sole = using the whole foot where as a soft soled shoe will only allow you to use one part of your foot, which means you would be in pain a lot faster. Also we discovered that my perfect fiance is pigeon toed. Which means when he stands his feet point outwards, so when you are clipped into to your pedals your shoe cleats are holding your foot down, which if you are pigeon toed means there is unnecessary outward force on your knee, which means it will hurt after you stop riding. And it will hurt a lot. Also his butt needs to get used to riding - which takes about 100 miles. So guess what we are doing this weekend!

Tyler also got his territory yesterday! Hooray! He is basically a cold seller - which means he just walks into the business and says "I have this product to offer you and here is why you need it/or why it is better" So far he has only definite maybes - I think that is a wonderful start for his first day. Today is his second day - I am keeping my fingers crossed and my positive energy with him today!

Liz things third.
The pressure of being broke, driving someone elses vehicle, and not having a watch that can keep time is stressful. Apparently the person who filed my papers at the HR in HISD quit. So my paperwork got lost in the jumble, and to top that off the payroll program at my Elementary school isn't working correctly so those two things combined together means that I have not been paid. Which means I am broke. I also have not been paid by Heritage Oaks - but that is monthly, which is fine.

The novelty of driving a '85 Mercedes-Benz has worn off. I am in the process of trying to acquire a new vehicle - which is proving more stressful than I thought it would be. I am most certain that I will get the loan.

Also my watch likes to either be really fast or really slow it can't make up its mind. Which stresses me out. Wearing a watch stresses me out - but I need it because I'm constantly looking at what time it is for my students. Literally every five minutes. It is amazing how fast these little people can complete work some times.

I need to remember that they don't know what I know, and should stop expecting them to have the knowledge of a college graduate. But they always surprise me - like a first grader telling a third grader today who the Mayor of Houston was - which I didn't know until last November. I am so behind on Houston politics.

Taffy

This weekend has been full of ups and downs. 

My dog Taffy - who I've known for thirteen and half full years passed away. We knew she wasn't going to make it through the weekend, but knowing that I missed her by only a couple of minutes was the hardest part. My favorite memory of her was when I first got her. My dad used to work at a dealer ship out in Sealy, TX and one of the customers brought a truck full of puppies. I knew from the moment that I saw her, I was hers. So I immediately called my mom - who was teaching high school at the time and probably interrupted her class to ask if I could get this puppy. She asked what kind of dog it was and I told her and she said she would think about it. I think by this point my dad had already made up his mind that we would be taking this cute fuzz ball home. She was a fuzz ball. Not being able to give this guy a firm yes or no he left and gave my dad his number and said to call when we made our minds up. Finally my mom said, yes but that I would have to walk her and feed her and do all the training and puppy stuff. When the guy finally got back, I could hear Taffy crying in the back of the pick up and soon as she saw me again she quieted down and wagged her tail, love at first sight. Taffy was an amazing dog. She loved puddles, treats, chasing squirrels and cats, eating gross things, she loved the dog park, long walks. Storms frightened her but she always found solace in her family. She protected and herded us around, nipped our ankles, and chased us. Worlds best dog. 

Race Red

Tyler got his new bike! Can't wait to get him some riding shoes and race him!

It's so shiny!

Big, Bigger, and Biggest!

It is FRIDAY!

A lot of exciting things have happened this week. Some sad, and a lot of HAPPY! I want to start with the bad news first.

Bad news is my sweet dog Taffy - who found us when I was in Fourth grade is making her exit. It is stressful, sad, and painful. There is not much to do, only thing we can do is encourage her to drink some sugar water and keep her as comfortable as possible. It is hard. The hardest part is having to keep a smile on my face knowing that I am losing a best friend.

Sad news is over. Happy news. There is a lot to be happy about. First week of Montessori is over and I have had so much fun! The kids truly enjoy learning in this environment. Some are still adjusting to being responsible for their own learning - but are catching on quick! The rest just excel at their learning activities. What has made me the happiest about working at Garden Oaks is that the small people really have connected with me, they can tell me when they are having problems, or what has made them happy, what they are looking forward too, and some of them have even said some very nice things to me.

One thing that has made me laugh is one of my first graders told me that she "could not read fancy and she needed some help translating." and one thing that made me smile big was a second grader brought me a feather and said "you are the best teacher assistant in the whole world and I'm happy that you are apart of our class." For those who are in education some times it can take a while for students to open up to the assistants or interns because they aren't sure what to do about them. But wow! I am truly amazed how welcomed they have made me feel.

More things to smile about! I am getting a new car! Hopefully! I have been driving around a pig. A 1984 Mercedes - it is big and slow and the A/C hardly works, and in Houston heat that is no bueno...  I have to get approved for a loan first and go through that process, but I will be getting a 2012 Ford Focus - it is white and a hatchback, so my dogs will have plenty of room (finally).

And what I consider to be the biggest news of them all, Tyler is finally getting a bike! That means my whole family will be bike fanatics. We can go on bike rides together and he wont feel so left out while we are gone for hours at a time enjoying the outdoors. I am so thrilled that he gets to join in these adventures (and so is my dad)

This week has been filled with ups and downs. We finally finished our first art project at Heritage Oaks. It took a little while, but I like to call my kids thinkers - they aren't slow they are just methodical in their work, also very self critical. I enjoy working with my two students. Our next projects will be for the garden, since that is the schools major project we need to contribute something to leave our mark on it.

I am enjoying my teaching jobs, they have shown me that kids aren't always evil and they can even be sweet and thoughtful (which helps, because after teaching in Commerce ISD I was ready to call it quits). Tyler is also having a blast at his new job. A lot of his job requires for him to be out and around Houston - I do not envy him, but also part of his job is connecting with co-workers so he always comes home in a good mood. My hope is that he does very well in his sales position and can move through the company quickly so he doesn't have to be running around Houston streets for very long.

Also it is a three day weekend! Yay! I have also reached my goal of losing 10 lbs! That makes me extremely  comfortable.

Keep checking back for more. I will try to post photos of things. I just need to remember to carry my phone.

Shouting from the Mountain TOP!

Today was my first day in a full action Montessori Classroom. I made a few mistakes here and there - but who doesn't on their first day in a new environment. I have found I need to brush up on my math, and english, other than that I think I did pretty well. The kids are wonderful! I would have never expected in a million years for some of them to bond so quickly to me. I guess being a Teacher's Assistant and knowing that I am there for them and to help guide them fostered a relationship much faster. This year is going to be great!

I can't wait til Friday for my big announcement!

New Things and Accomplishments

Well this week has been busy, busy, busy, busy! And this coming week will be busy, busy, busy!

For starters Tyler is starting his NEW job on Monday! We are both very excited, Saturday was his official last day as a parts salesman! WOOHOO! No more working as a grunt for him. He is starting at a newish company called Houston Texas Consulting - they are a part of a national chain. Essentially he will be selling businesses to other businesses - kind of like when we walk into a grocery store, the grocery store is the middle man between the producer and us the consumer. They are along the lines of marketing and consulting.  We are both very excited that we get to have weekends together - after having been together for almost six years and never having a full weekend together. It's a BFD.

Monday is just a big day for the both of us. I got to meet my first graders at Garden Oaks Elementary on Friday, Monday, I get to meet the rest of the little people I will be teaching! I'm very excited to see how everything falls into place. And on Tuesday my students at Heritage Oaks will be finishing up their first assignment, so hopefully I will have some photos for you so you can see their clever work.

I have also been dieting - why is Liz dieting??! Well when you are uncomfortable in your own skin, something needs to change so I have done a complete sugar/fast sugar detox. Wait. Doesn't Liz eat healthy all the time? No she does not. But I am on the right track - again. I have also found that I am allergic,to peanut butter, not just sensitive, allergic, (probably the culprit for a lot of my problems lately). So for those of you who know I have had some weird health issues - like putting on 10 lbs rapidly and almost with out explanation, but I have managed to lose 7 of those pounds and closer to my original weight. I have officially made it one week with out sugar! I feel great. My skin is looking alot better. The only down side is the bodies detox process has made my nose runny :( but that is almost gone!


So far my favorite food to eat is, spaghetti squash with tomato, onion, red pepper, a dash of cayenne, black pepper and some sea salt :) and steamed unsweetened vanilla almond milk!

Check back there will be a big announcement on Friday!

I Feel Like A Newborn

So, I am just awful about keeping up with more than five things. I truly feel bad that I have let my communications with the outside world fall apart. For those who I haven't talked to in what feels like forever, a lot has changed. I am officially starting my big kid life. I am a teacher - that means I qualify for all those awesome teacher discounts!

So I will be periodically updating my blog now to show you all the neat things that I am doing so everyone can be in my loop. I will try to be better about texting, emailing, snail mailing and calling but for a while this will probably be the best way to see what in the world I am up too.

I am teaching at two schools in the Houston area. One is an Environmental Science Magnet Elementary School - Garden Oaks Elementary, where I am a teacher's assistant in a Montessori class (a very important role) and the other is a brand spanking new private school - Heritage Oaks School, where I am the art teacher.

I am so excited to be apart of both of these schools, it really is an amazing opportunity for me.

Garden Oaks Elementary is a Montessori School. Now what is that you are wondering. The Webster definition of Montessori is:

A system of education for young children that seeks to develop natural interests and activities rather than use formal teaching methods.

Essentially we teach to the whole child, and each child receives an individualized education where those who are fast pace learners can excel and those who take their time don't feel the pressure to always play catch up. We also teach leadership,and peaceful problem solving skills. Which is so important to shape the future community. In the classroom there are 1st through 3rd graders. You are probably wondering how does that work? Well each student has their own work plan and works individually but as a group all at the same time. It really is just amazing what these kids can accomplish if you just let them explore and in a facilitated environment.

At Heritage Oaks School it is a project- based learning school. We adhere to the National Core Standards, all of our learning is done through collaboration and projects - sounds like an art teachers dream school. In my art class I only have two fifth graders so far! They are very talented and driven students. I can not wait to start posting their work so everyone can see their progress. Since it is a brand new private school there are only five total students! It is so wonderful to be able to give them the attention they need at the beginning of the year. At the school we are teaching them leadership, problem-solving, and how to take care of the environment. A lot of the work is student research driven but teacher facilitated, a lot of the learning is placed upon the student and they are encouraged to compile research and then apply it to real world problems - like growing a vegetable garden.

I am so excited to be a part of both these schools. But that is not the only thing that I have been doing. You are probably wondering where is she living?!?! Well currently at my parents house, which is so chaotic if I might add. There are five people (Tyler is here with me), four dogs, my two house horses, and my parents house ponies, and two cats. Luckily my parents have a very nicely sized house and we can all have our own space. Hopefully by mid- September, I will be living in the tiny three room apartment above my parents shop. They are so graciously remodeling it so it can be livable. When I moved here we to literally pull plaster off the walls down to the studs, replace all the studs, doors, some window frames, ceiling joists, floors and all the electrical and plumbing. It is a big project but we are getting closer and closer to the finish line!

So keep checking back, because this will become my space to tell the world about all the wonderful happenings. Also I will try to post fun things around Houston - since I am very well connected now.