Ivory Coast Beauty

Yep, my very own djembe.
Isn't she a beauty? Authentic and from the Ivory Coast.



I realized I needed to invest more in the self-care department. Often, as caregivers, this is neglected. So, along with yoga, I'll be drumming again. After I was introduced to drumming last spring, and took a summer class series, I knew I would be back. Since my former teacher lives so far south, I will begin drumming at Drumz in Central Austin with my friend Tanya.

BSM ~ Gratitude

When I describe my husband as an industrious little ant, I mean it. He can work, work, and work, and do these amazing things that would probably take most husbands 3 times as long to get done. He works non-stop, especially when it comes to a project. He wants it done. Weekend before last, he spent all weekend demo-ing the fence and pulling up the posts so we could get our back fence replaced. We hired a guy to replace the fence because, well, Mike has to work during the week.

I then told him I wanted the garden expanded. He had the double gate moved to the other end of the side fence to open up the area by our current garden, and he expanded the garden area this weekend. About 6 times its current size, from a meager 130 sq feet to 850 sq feet. He got himself a heavy duty tiller, put the tiller together and tilled the yard for approximately 10 hours straight yesterday. TEN hours. All while pulling out hundreds of pounds of the annoying limestone and caliche rock that is abundant in our area, along with the old posts from the first fence that we discovered. Domi helped. Then, the hubby came inside and made dinner for us.

Today, starting at 8 am, he brought in compost, from our own compost we’ve been “harvesting” for the last year, and an extra truckload of Turkey compost from the garden center, shoveled that in, then tilled it into the garden. He later tilled up that dirt and moved it from the flowerbed to the new garden area, (about 25 wheelbarrows full) then went back to the garden center for 2 more truckloads of really good Rose and flowerbed soil, shoveled it in, then tilled it. Domi was still helping. I don't think my boy has ever worked so hard in his life. Last year, he helped, but it doesn't compare to what he did today. They finished off by replanting the rose bushes. They're still in the yard cleaning up. I’m in here waiting for him with a cold cerveza and their favorite buffalo wings.

This is what makes my husband (and son) amazing.
AND the hubby still makes the time to read to his tot.



This is only the newly tilled area. The existing garden is to the left.


Replanting rose bushes.



I took this photo below, of our blossoming plum tree while the guys were tilling yesterday, and I intitially chose for my BSM, but now that I've typed all this up, I think the others deserve to be my BSM. Whatcha think?

Artful snippets

Gorgeous day today. We spent the majority of the morning playing outside and exploring in the "atelier" (aka covered patio).

Artful Hands

We've been doing a clay exploration since last week. Even though the photo is a bit flawed in my opinion, I love how Sophia's artful hands were captured. They're usually strewn with paint, but you're only a kid once.

Cindy and Frances

A couple months ago, I was asked to do a quick, last minute, pre-holiday photo shoot for the Maroney family in their lovely central Austin home. The occasion was a new addition to their beautiful family. It was interesting trying to photograph a newborn and her 15 month old sister when neither one of them wanted anything to do with the camera, however, I think I was able to capture several tender moments for them. Thank you, Holly, for this referral.

BSM ~ Rainboots

One of the things I love about running my little program out of my home, is we can go with the flow. We hung out on the covered patio for quite some time, and enjoyed the crisp weather this morning. It rained throughout the evening and in the early morning and the children wanted to stomp in the puddles with their rainboots. That is after all, what they're for, right?



For more Best Shot Monday images, hop on over to Tracey's at Mother May I.

Yvonne's Birthday and Housewarming

Last night we enjoyed an evening of good food, drinks, and art to honor my cousin Yvonne's birthday, which also doubled as a housewarming party. She purchased her first home a few months ago, gutted it, and transformed it into a beautiful, inviting, and zen-like space. I wish I had before pictures of the house when she bought it. The labor and work that went into this place is unbelievable (there were many tears shed as well).
But, it is now a home.

Congratulations!



















Happy Birthday to my best friend, my cousin, my soul sister!
To many wonderful years ahead.

Domi-isms

So, last night I'm at an Evening of Indulgence at The Good Earth Day School, and I see an email come through my cell phone from my husband.
Here it is:

Ring, Ring
Mike: Hello
Dominique: Hey dad, we're done so you can come pick me up
Mike: OK, give me a few minutes to get Sophia ready, wait 3-4 minutes then meet me on el salido
Dominique: ok
Mike : Sophia, wanna go for ride?
Sophia: yes, runs to get shoes, trips over metal gate, she's ok, puts shoes on
Mike: let get in mom’s car
Sophia : ok
:start driving:

Get to cypress whatever… no Dominique

Mike calls Dominique :Hey, domi, have you started walking yet?
Domi: NO, I’M ALREADY HOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike: did you walk, you can’t be there already?????
Domi: No, Stephanie brought me home
Mike: Domi, do you think it would have been a good idea to call and let me know ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Domi: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence:uh….. :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence: :silence:uh
Mike: I’ll be home in a minute
Mike :drive home:
Domi: guess I should not have surprised you….

Mike: ………

Standing My Ground

Well, the property I discussed below, we walked away from today. Even though the landlord agreed verbally to our proposal this weekend, once he ran it by his father, we were told they do not negotiate on leases. I find that strange, especially in this economy, but all that does is confirm that Terra Luz is not meant to be there. As a small preschool, I'm not comfortable moving into a property at that monthly rate. If I were to pack many children in the classrooms like the previous tenant did, then it would work, but that goes against my philosophy.

So, I'm standing my ground, and moving on.

Sharing a photo from the beginning of our clay exploration this week, which brings a smile to my face today.

Moving Forward

As most of you know, it's been my little dream to have my own escuelita, and what I mean by that is, having it outside my home. I've rambled about realizing this is my calling in this lifetime, and have been consumed with logistics and researching what it takes to launch a preschool, and doing it successfully. I obsessed over the name, the logo, and then the website. Next came the stress of finding property. This, I knew would be the hardest part.

Do we lease? Do we buy a home and convert? Either way, this is a HUGE step for me. If we buy a 2nd home, there are many stipulations. And then there is zoning, and HOAs and other red tape. If we lease, we're in it for only year, and can decide if we want to purchase property later.

This last year, I've been researching what makes a quality program. An amazing program. The bottom line is, it comes to staff. This was confirmed [again] for me yesterday, when I read through the current issue of a local parenting journal [Parent-Wise]. And what is sad is this is where most centers skimp.

"Typical parents judge a daycare center or preschool based on if it's safe, clean, and in their budget, rather than on how well the center provides emotional care and intellectual stimulation."

I'm going to be quoting a lot here, just because when I'm at the point in my journey when I ask myself, why am I looking for such specific qualifications with my staff, I can come back to this, and be reminded.

UNDERPAID, UNDEREDUCATED TEACHERS

"Nearly all childcare workers in this country--be in-home daycare providers or degreed teachers at a fancy private preschool--are severly underpaid. As in all professions, without quality workers, you put out a poor product. Quality childcare workers are responsible for managing groups of children while developing enriching classroom activities, both of which require a wealth of knowledge about child development and early childhood education. Too many parents, however, don't understand the breadth of knowledge required to care for young children at the expense of hiring and maintaining those people."

Quality begins with an educated staff. Period.

"An NACCRRA report revealed that the educational levels of childcare workers in Texas were quite low--this could be because Texas required childcare workers to only have a high school diploma or GED before working with children. Austin fares no better, despite its highly educated population and progressive nature. The results are unfortunate, given that childcare studies unaminously find that the college education level of staff is the most strongly correlated factor in quality care"

"The early years are critical, and they need to be spent with those professionals who have made that committment to children. Paying people to make that committment is expensive. And often, parents can't afford, or don't want, to pay the price necessary for good quality care.

"Childcare costs should be near the top of a household budget, probably second on the list after mortgage [or] rent", says Lynn Payne a child care referral specialist at FamilyConnections in Austin. However, this does not mean that the more expensive a program is, the better. The real question is, how much of the center's tuition goes back to the staff."

"In 1985, I chose to drive a 10-year old car so I could pay a little more for child care tuition," says Dawn Leach, director of the ACC Children's Lab School, "I have never regretted that choice."

Choosing a good daycare or preschool is a lot of work. And in the end, you get what you pay for.

So, when I am putting so much thought into what materials and furnishings will go in my school, designing a natural environment that engages senses, an environment that provokes wonder, curiosity, and intellectual engagement, and the fact that I'm seeking educated staff, whom I will need to compensate well, I wonder, will families see the value in this?? Or will they want something that is cheaper?

Today we went in and met (again) with the landlord of a commercial property we have been considering. Prime, prime location. It's a bit larger than I'd like to start off with, but has large classrooms and a room which could be converted to an Atelier (Art Studio). I initially rejected it because the price made me very nervous and I would have to start big. We went in and gave him our proposal. A proposal I would feel comfortable with as a start up preschool. A proposal that involved cost modifications and changing up some of the aesthetics of the property.

Well, he agreed! YES! He agreed! I am so overwhelmed right now. I was expecting him to tell us we were out of our minds. And I was ready to walk if he did. BUT, he said yes! He's going to run it by his father (who still oversees some things with this property), and we have not signed anything yet, but my hopes are high.

And hopefully, this photo here, will come to fruition.

Mia turns Three!

This weekend, we joined Mia's birthday celebration. Her mama put together a huge pachanga (spanish for birthday bash) at Acrotex Gym. This venue was a GREAT idea. I don't think I've seen this many children at a birthday party since living on the border. The kiddies had a blast playing on all the equipment and I think the parents were equally as excited!

Happy Happy Birthday Mia.
We love you very much.







And all these cupcakes, her mama made! I don't think I've seen so many cupcakes before and they were delish!

Jessica's Bachelorette Evening

Hello! I'm back! But only for a quickie. Just enough time to process a few photos, (and I mean just a few) from Jessica's bachelorette party. The wedding was last weekend, and she was such an incredible looking bride.

I think I was the oldest attendee at the bachelorette party, and after our dinner at Vivo and the lingerie party, I didn't even have it in me to join the girls downtown. Yep, I feel that old and tired. At least I had a Mandy with me, who is preggers and was ready to go to bed before I was. I wish I had time to post more (I know, I'm pathetic), however, things have been crazy busy on this end. But, at least I took a few hours to stop, and smell the roses. ;)

My Official Name and Logo (and Website too!)

Here it is. My logo.



And my preschool's official name. Terra Luz.
Terra = Earth [Latin]
Luz = Light [Spanish]

Coming up with an official name for my program took what seemed like forever, but it had to be perfect. The name had to have *meaning* for me and I wanted to show that my program is a non-traditional one. After brainstorming with friends and family, it hit me. Terra Luz.

The logo was created by the talented Mark Anderson. I love how the logo evolved and I'm relieved that Mark was able to get inside my brain and create the vision I had. And he did it beautifully. The sprouting tree is young and playful, and will grow like the children who I work with now and will work with in the future. The circle gives the feeling of cohesiveness and of closeness which I have with the children and the families of my program. The sun is beautiful because embedded in it, is the moon and evokes the rhythm of nature. The circle is not closed, shows that this is a place for *open-mindedness* and allows for flow. I also think the opening resembles an arm beckoning one to come in and play.

I would like to share this clip from a Reggio-inspired school. I posted this on my private blog, but thought it was worth sharing here. Now, if I can only find property to expand and move my program offsite. If you want to take a peek at my website [that the talented Kiwe of the O'Mamas put together], you can check it out here.

This is my *why*.
Enjoy!

MIA?

Hello Blog,

I know you've never gone THIS long without hearing from me. You see, I've been swamped, and I mean CONSUMED with working on my business plan for my escuelita. Feels like a rollercoaster over here.

I even have proof. This is what my study has turned into.
A huge room of gigantic Post It Notes. And the giant dry erase board you can't even see, has been written on and erased about 50 times with our brain dumps.



When I return though, I will be sharing something really cool. Stayed tuned!

Spider House Cafe

Domi and I rediscovered the awesome Spider House Cafe on the drag by campus. So we went twice in one week. The 2nd time, we were joined by some good friends.

Domi LOVES Anjalika. He adores her. He was so worried about her when we heard about the Indian bombings since she was back home visting family during that time, and he kept asking if we had heard from her. He was relieved to hear she and her family were safe. And then wondered if she would be back in time to accept his invitation to his Winter Concert. I told him she would not be back in time, but maybe next year. ;)

Within minutes, Domi found a way to sit next to her on this bench. And poor girl. I think he gave her his cold (I thought he had allergies!). I just love how my son loves my friends too. And Tanya, just so you know, Jay was asking why you weren't there. In his words, "Tanya. Yeah, she's cool".