An Unexpected Twist in the Plot

As soccer season draws to a close for high school boys, so does pasta dinner season. Nights before home games are filled with tastes of Italy, or some variation...spaghetti, lasagne, rigatoni, garlic...

For some unknown reason, I thought it was a good idea to add my name to the volunteer sheet (that sentence could really stop right there, but it goes on) toward the end of the season. Right when things are at the height of chaos. And on top of that...well, let me just give you the original title for this particular posting: "Never Sign Up to Bring Pasta to an Italian Woman's House." 

Where Did I Go Wrong?

I'm not exactly sure when it was clear that the soft, hot pretzels were destined to become dinner for the mouse that steals from my garbage can. In hindsight, I think it was right from the beginning, when I wondered if the yeast and sugar had spent enough time turning into the "creamy" mixture the recipe described.

Or three minutes later when I'd added the 8th tablespoon of water to the dough in order to "soften it up a little bit." Well, okay...in order to actually have it look like something more than a pile of crumbled up old chewing gum.

Lessons From the Kitchen

Working with young children has the capacity to teach adults many lessons. By nature, children are kind, inquisitive, present, loving, and above all, they have an inherent trust in the adults around them. Taking a moment to reflect on that trust brings forth the realization that our tasks, as early childhood educators, are nothing short of monumental.

                Think about that. The children around us spend their lives imitating all that we do. They are fascinated with the “adult world” and spend their time role playing, creating scenarios in order to make sense of it all. It asks of us, the “adults” in their worlds, to be conscious of our actions, responsible, respectful, and authentic. Children learn lessons from us during every waking moment, watching carefully as we maneuver through our day-to-day activities, internalizing our gestures, actions, and habits.

Get Up and Go!

I’m going to begin by telling you what I had for breakfast…the real version, not the “what my mother would like to hear” version. A coke, because that’s just standard. Not a coffee drinker. Two Chips Ahoy, string cheese, half a piece of leftover pizza, and a glass of V8 fruit and vegetable juice, primarily because I knew I’d be writing this down. Without a doubt, however, I can say that the days that I start off with some V8 (peach and mango) and/or oatmeal, I hit mid-afternoon in a much better mood. 

The Great Pacificator

September 9, 1850

The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) ended with an American victory and some new land for the United States. Alta, California and New Mexico were purchased for $15 million. Additionally, Mexico now officially recognized Texas as a part of the US, having not viewed it as such after the Texas Revolution back in 1836.

US President James Polk had achieved his goal to expand American Territory all the way to the Pacific coast. The political implications pointed directly down the road toward civil war, however, as the Southern slave states and Northern free states could not agree on the status of the territories.