Recently, Bollywood actress Sridevi passed away. She was an icon and her movies with their songs defined my childhood. The other day, one of her movies was playing on TV. I decided to sit down and watch it since it has been on my list for a while. It was weird seeing her playful and… Continue reading Farewell, Ms. Hawa Hawai
As you now know, I enjoy hosting parties . . . a lot! I enjoy having people over and creating good food for them. If I am able, I try to make something for my guests to remember the party by. Homemade, thoughtful gifts are the best ones. Around Christmas, I read many blogs for potential ideas… Continue reading A Summer Blend
Playing the gracious hostess causes anxiety for many. Most have their opinion about what makes a good hostess. Is a good hostess someone that does it all on her own or caters a menu? In my opinion, a good hostess is someone that shares her love with the people in her life through the food,… Continue reading The perpetual hostess
Explaining figurative language is one of the hardest things to teach a language learner. It is one of those innate language aspects that can be hard to grasp. Every language has idioms and as children we grow up hearing and understanding their place and usage. Most language learners, however, tend to take these phrases literally. When we… Continue reading Thought for food
or, The Art of Being Prepared Preparedness is one of those things that are taken for granted both at work and in life. At my job, I work with women, some of whom have never had a job before. It is eye-opening for me to see this and I have to remind myself to take… Continue reading Mise en place…
Lately I’ve been thinking about what it takes to be an entrepreneur. I’ve been reading and attending events in the hopes of understanding this. As someone who believes that she has the entrepreneurial spirit, I guess I want to see if I have what it takes. In my experience, a lot of people want to be business… Continue reading Have it, you must
How would you describe the word subtraction, without using the words: subtract or minus? It isn’t as easy as you think. You need to think on your feet and come up with a creative way to describe the word so that others can figure it out. This is the general idea of the… Continue reading Don’t say the word!
Here we go again. Math. Yuck. Don’t leave. Give me another ‘chota’ hug and we’ll get through it. I promise! I present a fun way to discuss fractions that includes a delicious painting, dummy cakes covered in fondant, and Venn diagrams. We begin by looking at Thiebaud’s painting, Cakes (1963). Look at the painting. Talk… Continue reading I’m no dummy!
I love to read. I consume books for breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack. Although I’ve embraced technology with an e-reader, I still purchase books from bookstores. I know, it’s such a novel concept! I love holding an actual book in my hands. The touch, feeling, and smell of a book is just something else. As cliché as it sounds, books take… Continue reading The House on Mango Street
These words imply something that is empty or undecorated. I like to use them to ignite a spark for my students. One of the production lessons I teach focuses on learning about some of the bread products that are made and sold at Hot Bread Kitchen (there are over 70, so I can’t pick them all).… Continue reading Blank Canvas
Kneading English 