Squirrels by Domi

Just wanted to share the blackboard drawing Domi made for the Casa T. kiddies.
This week, the focus is on Squirrels and Nuts, and my darling did the honor of sketching our weekly blackboard drawing (in about 2 minutes).
Isn't he the sweetest?



Fellow O'Mamas (and other friends and family members): If you wish to be added to view the Casa T. blog, let me know, and I'll add you as a reader.

Yoga Naiya

Yes, you guessed it. The tots of Casa T. are reaping the benefits of children's yoga with Krista a seasoned and certified yoga kids teacher. It was awesome. She will be visting the house once and week, and I, like the kiddies, cannot wait for our next class.

Posted several photos on my Casa T. blog, but wanted to share some of the goodies over here too.

Translating Services - Part II

So, I come inside from our morning outdoor play and see 10, yes, TEN! missed calls on my cell phone. I start panicking wondering who died or what kind of accident Domi has had at school. I look at the history and see that the ten missed calls are from only two people.

Mari and Mandy's husband.

First call-

Mari (in a stressed out voice)
"Señora Andrea, soy Mari. Hablo para preguntale si Doña Mandy quere que limpio la casa... me toca limpiar ahora, pero no me dejo la llave, no se que pasa...ay, por favor llama me...no me dejo la llave... habla a Dona Mandy para preguntale si es ahora or que, puedes hablar me, no se que pasa con la llave... ay, por favor llama me Senora Andrea."

Translation:
Señora Andrea. It's Mari. I'm calling to ask you if Miss Mandy wants me to clean her house. Today is my day, but she did not leave me the key...I don't know what happened...ay, please call me...she didn't leave the key... can you call Miss Mandy to ask her if today is the day or what....please call me...I don't know what happened with the key, ay, please call me Señora Andrea.

Mandy's husband (in a stressed out voice)
"Hi Andrea, this is Paul. I forgot to leave my key under the mat for Maria to come clean the house today. I came back to the house and left the key. I'm wondering if you could contact her to see if she can come back. Please call me."

So, I call Mari to let her know the hubby forgot to leave the key and if she can go back. Says she has already picked up her daughter from the babysitter, but she can go tomorrow if they want. I tell her to go ahead and do that.

I call Mandy's husband back to let him know that Mari is already back home but she will come tomorrow. Paul reminds me that they will be getting their carpet cleaned tomorrow. I ask what time. He does not know. I tell him to have Mandy call me when she gets off work.

I call Mari back and tell her they are getting their carpets cleaned tomorrow so it probably won't work if she's there, unless they are cleaning carpets in the afternoon, then she can go first thing in the morning, but to wait until she hears back from me for the go-ahead.

10 minutes pass...

Mari calls again.
Tells me that her husband is now back home and that he will be going with her help clean Mandy's house right now so it's done before the carpets are cleaned tomorrow. I tell her I will call Mandy's husband to let him know.

The End.

P.S. I'm going to start charging not only for my referral services, but also for my translating services. I was the token bilingual teacher at my school and was constantly pulled out of class to translate for someone in the office, or to make a phone call for the nurse.

When I worked in a docs office (infertility specialist, I might add), I was pulled in to translate for the doctor to the Spanish-speaking only couple. I'll never forget when I got stumped on the word, ovaries. I just ended up saying something to the effect of "cuando los huevos salen de aqui" (as I pointed to my groin area).

Hehe...

P.S. Love ya Mandy (even though I know you don't read my blog)

Planning

With April right around the corner, I've been planning Sophia's 2nd birthday party. I've been known to go "all out" for parties and entertaining is something I've always enjoyed (hey, it's the Latina in me, we like big get-togethers, and I'm not gonna apologize for that, kay?). However, I don't ever do anything drastic like hire a pony for kids to ride, and I do prefer to have birthday parties at home (as opposed to big chain facilities) especially for little ones. That way we're not rushed, and we can eat and drink whatever we wanna, and get as loud as we wanna!

So, with budget contraints this year, I'm looking at how I can pull this off without emptying the wallet since we're springing for crawfish, so I'm being creative and this is what I've planned thus far:

I will cave and go the Evite route. As much as I dislike doing this (I'm all about getting a cute, handmade invitation in the mailbox...makes it feel more personal), this year, birthday invitations will not be made nor mailed, to save on postage and paper (oh, and time...something I have very little of these days).

Decorations will be simple to the point of probably just balloons and the piñata! There may even be some cascarones that come out and surprise a few victims.

Probably no goody bags this year. Well, at least not elaborate ones. However, kiddies will at least go home with an adorable (and even handmade) treat, which will be part of the cupcake decorations.

On another note, Spring Break is almost here! Casa T. will be closed for the week and we're heading to San Antonio on Sunday. Will do a facial Arbonne party at my friend Susan's, check in on the lil' brother, and head to the San Antonio zoo, and whatever else we decide to do. I'm sure I'll go to town with my new lens, which just arrived in the mail!

It's what's called a 'fixed' lens, so I can't zoom and am getting used to that component, and from what I can tell so far, it takes some some pretty cool pictures. I love that the aperture can go to 1.8! Gives some great depth of field photos. Played around with it today. I had to bump the ISO to 1600 because of the low lighting in the living room, so I'm wondering if that's why I'm seeing the grain in some photos. Or is it because I had the aperture wide open? I just dunno! Nonetheless, I managed to get some shots.









All ready to go outside in the windy, chilly weather.

It only takes about 20 minutes to get everyone's socks, shoes, jackets, hats, etc. on! The girlies are all about wearing each other's clothing now. They're like sisters swapping clothes and accessories out. The next thing they're going to start doing is asking each other, "Do these dipes make my butt look big? What kind do you have on? Can I borrow them?"

Hehe.

A Muddy Day at Casa T.

A fun mud discovery. Self Applied.

Fun-Friday at Casa T.

It's Friday! It's Friday!
Parachutes and Body Art.

Hanging Out at Casa T.

How we spend our days, now that spring is here. Outside!

Affirmation

This week I returned from some training with the staff of the about to be opened Olive Tree preschool in South Austin (and oh, what a gorgeous school it is!). Even though I'm not employed there, but rather, run a small Reggian-inspired program out of my home on the other side of town, I was grateful that the owner extended the invitation for me to attend, and am so very pleased with the alliance we've built.

The week was refreshing, and even a bit emotional for me (for many of us actually) as it solidified and confirmed my reasons for doing what I do with my Casa T program. When I first learned about Reggio, I was drawn to it because of its untraditional philosophy.

As a former public school teacher, and a parent of two teens (one with 'special rights'), I've seen first-hand how the educational system in our country has become increasingly standardized and structured. This is a sharp contrast to that of the Reggio approach because this approach is unstructured and focuses more on each child's individual needs. The curriculum is designed around the child, instead of the child needing to be ready for the curriculum.

In an article written by Tess Bennett, an early childhood special education professional, she describes her observations during her visit to the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and discussed how the Reggio schools work with children with 'special rights' in a very responsive way.

"For example, one child with autism was allowed to roam around the school for several months while the teachers observed her to find out what was interesting and motivating for her. The staff noticed the child was interested in light. They began to offer her opportunities to experiment with light, and eventually she started to interact with another child at the light table. Continuing the interest in light, the child with special rights interacted with another child while experimenting with a prism. Reggio Emilia staff believe in starting with all children "where they are." This strategy requires knowing the child well and having good communication with the child's family about the child's interests. The Reggio Emilia staff believe that finding out what motivates a child is worth more than hundreds of meaningless exercises."

When I read this, I began to cry. If only this had been a resource for my own child when he was young, instead of the many standardized tests that decide a child's educational abilities, that are so prevalent in our school system. Yes, he has survived--I like to say he's persevered--but it has been a very bumpy road, and one I would have rather he not have traveled on.

I do want to add that observation is not only used extensively for children with special rights, but for ALL children, in order to gain insight into the child's thinking process and understanding the self.

We concluded our training with making of dreamboards to represent what we want to see in our school (and for me, in my inhome program). We had a very short time, but I managed to find words and images that spoke to me.









I love how her board below, flows off the paper. This gal thinks outside the box.





Mine

A colorful day at Casa T.

Fun painting discovery. Self Applied.

Curls and Freckles

Had to share this darling shot of Lulu. She came back today after her summer break and returned with longer curls, new freckles, and a boatload of new words. I could not be happier, as I missed her dearly.

BTW, I've created a separate blog dedicated to the kids and activities of Casa T., so I will no longer be posting those images and posts on my personal blog. Unless there are some shots I absolutely HAVE to share, I will. Or if you're one of my friends, and you'd like to continue to read about what we're doing, shoot me an email, and I'll add you as a reader.

A Day in the Life of Casa T.

Now I understand why photographers want to shoot first thing in the am, or in the late afternoon. The sun caused for some harsh lighting, but I still think the mood comes through.

Our Band Rocks

Hello Blog (and friends),

I know it seems like I've disappeared lately, however, with managing two blogs now, I split what little free time I have between my Om Mami and my Casa T blog.

Wanted to quickly share some exciting band news for Domi. Last weekend, his high school band traveled to Arlington, TX to compete in the Bands of America. Our band placed the highest it has ever placed at a Bands of America event! They placed SECOND in preliminary competition and went on to place SECOND in finals competition to the ranking State Marching Champion of 2006, Marcus High School Band. Other bands represented at the contest were high caliber bands which are sure to be seen at the top of future competitions. Our band was extremely close to taking first place as four out of seven judges had our high school in first place!
I wish you could hear them play. This year's show is incredible. I get chills everytime.

And I'm still that weepy mom that has to fight back tears.









Photos courtesy of the Band Photographers

Buckets, but no Boots

The tots watering the veggie garden at Casa T.









Then, Austin decided on some impromptu water fun.







Domi's Toes. =)


After looking at the photo of Austin running, I am dying to get my hands on a lensbabies.